


let's play a game of pretend

by khrysallis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 40,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3771694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khrysallis/pseuds/khrysallis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(boys over flowers!au) commoner meets king of sm high. all hell breaks loose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let's play a game of pretend

**Author's Note:**

> junmyeon/kyungsoo, onesided!kyungsoo/jongin, jongin/luhan, side!chen/liyin, side!baekhyun/taeyeon | pg-13 | ~41,100 words

Do Kyungsoo craned his neck as he came to a stop in front of a set of massive gates, squinting while trying to read what was engraved on the arch that bridged both ends with the morning sun in his eyes. There was despair and hopelessness rushing up to greet him when he realised he had arrived at the correct destination, dreading what laid ahead of him.  
  
SM High, where the rich, the famous, and the pompous roamed its grounds. Kyungsoo was by no means one of them – no, he was far from being rich. He came from a working class family, already struggling to get by with their meagre monthly income in Seoul where everything else was expensive. Then his parents had to enrol him into SM High amidst his protests, further increasing their financial burden. Kyungsoo had tried to reason with them – he was completely fine with studying in a public school – but they wouldn’t listen.   
  
 _You’ll probably nab an heiress to a multinational company in school and catapult us into riches_ , his mother had told him extremely enthusiastically, and Kyungsoo had very nearly rolled his eyes at her. What were the chances that some rich kid would pay attention to him? Besides, Kyungsoo wasn’t exactly  _straight_ , but he figured his parents didn’t need the heart attack which would entail if he came out of the closet.   
  
Thankfully, shortly after his enrolment, SM High had announced that starting this year, they would be giving out a scholarship to high-achievers transferring into the school, in order to further boost the school’s already-brilliant academic track record. Kyungsoo happened to be lucky enough to get picked, and at least that reduced the intensity of the guilt he’d felt for being such a burden to his family.  
  
To be really honest with himself, though, Kyungsoo didn’t know whether he should be happy or to dread that he had been accepted into the school, but he thought he should at least be thankful. A place in SM High automatically guaranteed him access to the best universities and job openings around the world, and at least, in this cutthroat time and age, he had one thing less to worry about.   
  
He adjusted the strap of his backpack over his shoulder, an attempt to mask the discomfort he was feeling from the watchful eyes of the other students. Kyungsoo felt even more out of place than he already did with his bicycle, when the rest of the students came in their luxury cars, dropped off by their personal drivers. It made him look as though he was a lost child in the middle of a sports car parade. He could already hear the vicious gossips starting to form.   
  
With a burdened sigh, Kyungsoo lowered his head and hid his face from view, awkwardly pushing his bicycle along as he walked through the school gates, begrudgingly embracing his new status as SM High's student, even though the rest of the nation would probably kill to have his place.  
  
 _Blend in with the background_ , he told himself.  _Three years. Stay out of trouble. Then get out._    
  
He'll survive this.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo was Very Lost.   
  
When he tried to picture SM High’s layout in his mind, Kyungsoo instantly thought of a school the size of his old one, its buildings in close enough proximity with each other for easy access. But when a map was thrust into his hands by the receptionist earlier, Kyungsoo’s eyes had gone very wide, his head spinning at the sight of multiple buildings separated by massive lawns that made the school look more like a foreign university’s campus instead, each block catering for a specific type of subject.   
  
In retrospect, Kyungsoo supposed he should have seen this coming, especially when SM High was owned by the biggest company in South Korea. There wasn’t an industry where the SM Group did not dabble in and did not succeed – the education sector included, with its own brand of schools, catering from the kindergarten level up to the university level. He should know; he was now attending one of said schools.   
  
Right now, wandering around the school grounds in an attempt to locate the recording studio (Kyungsoo’s eyes had gone ridiculously wide when he had seen the words printed on the map – why would a high school have a need for recording studios?), Kyungsoo couldn’t make head or tails of his current location. Every building looked the same to him, the signboards nowhere in sight, and– wasn't he here just a couple of minutes ago? Kyungsoo swore the lampposts look familiar.   
  
Kyungsoo was tempted to run his hands through his hair to vent his frustrations, but then he remembered his mother’s painstaking efforts at preparing him for school that morning, and his shoulders dropped in defeat. As reluctant as he was in attending SM High, Kyungsoo wasn’t about to let his parents’ efforts go to waste. So Kyungsoo opted to spin around instead, allowing his feet to take him wherever they wanted to.   
  
It wasn’t until he caught sight of another student staring at him oddly that Kyungsoo stopped spinning, though the dizziness that assaulted him immediately after sent him off balance, and he actually walked into said student. Thankfully the student was kind enough to stabilise Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo kept his eyes shut and willed down the bile that was threatening to rise up his throat until his head had stopped spinning.  
  
“Th–thanks,” Kyungsoo muttered, embarrassed. When he finally looked up at the student, Kyungsoo found himself being surprised by how good looking the boy was, with beautiful sun-kissed skin, full lips, well-sculpted features, and a strong gaze. The boy was wearing a neatly-pressed black suit instead of the designated navy blue uniform for SM High’s students, and Kyungsoo wondered if he wasn’t a student here.  
  
That was when he realised with a start that he had been staring a little too blatantly. Kyungsoo stumbled backwards, and quickly bowed at the boy. “I’m really sorry for that. I was just– I was looking for the recording studio–” he mumbled again, and chanced another look at the other student. The coldness in his eyes chilled Kyungsoo to the bones, and he wondered if the boy was mad at him. He couldn’t really tell. Then again, Kyungsoo wasn’t really  _that_  good with social cues, preferring to spend time by himself most of the time. “You don’t... you don’t happen to know where it is, do you?”  
  
To Kyungsoo’s surprise, the boy actually pointed towards the end of the path they were currently on, but said nothing else. Kyungsoo tried hard not to stare at the veins that seemed to pop on the boy’s hand, and studied the map in his hand instead, committing the directions to memory.   
  
He then gave the boy another thankful bow, and quickly scampered away in search of the elusive recording studio before his classes for the day would start.   
  
The boy’s features remained imprinted in Kyungsoo’s mind for the rest of the day.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
The recording studio soon became his personal haven for the sheer amount of high-tech recording equipment in there. Kyungsoo still had no idea why SM High would have a need for such facilities, but he wasn’t complaining. At least he could pretend that he was a singer for once, doing what he loved best without anyone judging him, or bringing him down.  
  
It was three days later when Kyungsoo saw the boy again.   
  
He was on his way to the studio yet again after schooling hours, when he heard some music coming from a room several steps away from his destination. The bass beats grew louder as he neared the room, his heart’s pace slowly matching it, and he was surprised to see a fully-glassed room with wooden flooring and mirrors all about.   
  
There was a dancer within, popping and locking to the music, his movements angled and precise, and when the dancer made a full spin, Kyungsoo noted with surprise that it was the boy with the beautiful sun-kissed skin from the other day. Rather than the neatly-pressed suit, the boy was wearing a tracksuit instead, and his hair, matted with sweat, was plastered against the side of his face.   
  
Kyungsoo had never seen a sight more beautiful. He was mesmerised by the intensity of the boy’s expressions as he moved to the beats, focused and determined. The boy reminded Kyungsoo of himself, when he would lose himself in the world of music for hours on end, until his mother pulled him by the ear to get his attention when he wouldn’t respond to her calls.   
  
Kyungsoo had no idea how much time had passed since he’d started watching the boy dance, but he had a rude shock when he returned to reality. Standing there, towering over him, was the boy with his jaw set, his expressions dark. Even if he said nothing, Kyungsoo found that he could read the lingering question in the boy's eyes just fine.   
  
 _What are you doing here?_  
  
Kyungsoo felt his cheeks flaming up at once, the words tumbling out of his lips without being prompted to explain himself. "I uh. I'm sorry," he blurted, "I was just on my way to the recording studio and I heard music coming from here and I–" Kyungsoo cut himself off when the boy's expressions turned more intimidating than Kyungsoo would've imagined on him, and he wanted nothing else but to shrink into the ground out of sight somehow. "I'll just leave now. I'msorrybye!"   
  
He tried very,  _very_  hard to ignore the sensation of the boy's eyes boring holes into his back as he left.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
One week.   
  
That was the amount of time Kyungsoo was able to enjoy complete peace in SM High, before all eyes were on him. In retrospect, Kyungsoo should’ve taken Murphy’s law into consideration: Whatever can go wrong,  _will_  indeed go wrong.   
  
There was a part of him that was chastising himself for being too self-righteous, for standing up for another student who was being bullied by the rest, but the dilemma began from here. There was no way he would’ve allowed himself to live it down, had he walked away from the commotion and pretended that he hadn’t seen a thing. It wasn’t in Kyungsoo’s character to keep quiet when such things happened right in front of him, but he did know now that his actions proved costly in this school.   
  
As he ran down the hallways of the school, trying hard to get himself away from the other students who were practically acting like they were on a  _witch-hunt_ , Kyungsoo wondered if he was going to step out of the school alive by the end of the day. He knew bullying was a norm in schools, but the students in SM High took it to an all-new level – instead of a small group of bullies, Kyungsoo suddenly found himself being victimised by the  _whole_  student body.   
  
To think that it all started from a stupid red card from a certain group called EXO, which Kyungsoo had never heard of before, after he had stood up for the student who was being targeted by the rest, labelling their actions as ridiculous and uncalled for.   
  
“You go against EXO and their orders, and the whole school will be against you!” One of the students had cheered when Kyungsoo had opened his locker only to find the red card stuck within earlier that morning. Never mind the running queries of  _how in actual fuck did they gain access to my locker anyway_  in Kyungsoo’s head. The first instinct for Kyungsoo was to bolt from the locker area, when the students slowly congregated around him at the sight of the red card.   
  
He was right to do so, too, when he found an egg whizzing dangerously close to his ear and splattering against the pillar when Kyungsoo had ducked around it. Kyungsoo scrunched his nose as he continued to run, with more eggs and other edible objects sailing in his direction, mentally calculating the amount of money going to waste because these rich assholes wanted to have their own brand of  _fun_. He despaired for the number of stomachs that could be filled by the food wastage, and hoped that these students would receive retribution for not appreciating things more.  
  
Kyungsoo had no idea which was more sickening – the blatant waste of food, or the way the other students were treating this as a  _game_. His stomach twisted at their lack of humanity, when someone had called, “Let’s run him to his death!" He definitely did not want to stick around to find out whether they truly meant what they had said.  
  
Run for his dear life Kyungsoo did, making him push his own limits. Kyungsoo was never an athletic person, but at times like these, with only his survival in mind, he found that he was one hell of a runner. If only it translated to his gym classes, though; he probably wouldn't have felt as miserable.  
  
His luck soon ran thin, however, when he attempted to jump over the bars separating the paved road from the school field. It was by extreme misfortune that his foot should get caught, and before Kyungsoo knew it, he was sent airborne for a brief moment before sliding clean across the after-rain field on his stomach.   
  
"When I was told that someone was going against EXO, I'd imagined you to be someone more... bulky." A voice came from behind just as Kyungsoo was wallowing in pain. He paused in nursing the abrasions over his palms to see who exactly it was, only turning around when he nearly developed a crick in his neck for his awkward efforts.   
  
Four rather good-looking faces greeted Kyungsoo, and he was momentarily taken aback by their outfits. These were evidently students in SM High, but they were all wearing neatly-pressed  _suits_  instead of the customary school uniforms.  
  
Above all, the most shocking discovery was of Dancer Boy being a part of that group.  
  
"Oh dear, I hope you aren't mute." The first voice spoke again, and Kyungsoo was both surprised and appalled to see that it belonged to a deceptively kind-looking boy with pale skin and a perfect complexion.   
  
"Nah, I'm pretty sure he's just reeling from the shock, Junmyeon." The person to Junmyeon's left, a boy with kittenish features and a lone stud on his left earlobe said. There was a collective sigh of admiration coming from behind, and Kyungsoo very nearly rolled his eyes at the group of girls who were huddled together excitedly, as if this was nothing more than a part of the usual Korean drama they could catch on the local television channels.   
  
Junmyeon appeared thoughtful for a moment, then he smirked. The expression clashed greatly with his looks, and the thought made Kyungsoo sick to the stomach. Perhaps even angels could be cruel.   
  
"If that's the case, maybe I should let Zitao shake him up a little more."   
  
Kyungsoo was just in the midst of wondering who the heck was Zitao, before his gaze landed on the fiercest looking boy in the group. He instinctively inched backwards, because the boy looked every bit like the future successor of some shady underground group. He was going to  _die_ –  
  
"Tao will probably kill him." Yet again Kyungsoo found himself being surprised when Dancer Boy spoke up, sounding perpetually bored. Kyungsoo couldn't help noticing the sort of effortless grace he had, though, breath-taking in its own way even though Dancer Boy was doing essentially nothing  _but_  talk and breathe. Never mind that he was pointing out the one fact Kyungsoo was deathly afraid of.   
  
"You make me sound like a serial killer." Zitao scowled at his friends, and the boy with the kittenish features laughed aloud. Cue more squealing.   
  
"You do look the part," Junmyeon replied calmly, before taking another step closer to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo tried hard not to inch away from him. He wasn't scared of Junmyeon. He really wasn't.   
  
Against his better judgement, Kyungsoo frowned at Junmyeon when he became too unnerved by the way Junmyeon was examining him, treating him like a statue on display. "What do you want from me?"  
  
To Kyungsoo's confusion, Junmyeon reeled back with his eyes wide from shock, as though Kyungsoo had just physically slapped him in the face. "Did you just talk back to me?" He asked, appearing completely bewildered.  
  
At that moment, Kyungsoo had only one word to describe him: Dramatic.  
  
"Is that such a crime?" Kyungsoo chewed out, confused. He talked back whenever he wanted to. Who was Junmyeon to dictate his actions?  
  
Apparently, it  _was_  a mortal sin to do that, because the crowd behind them erupted in collective gasps, as though Kyungsoo had just said something extremely blasphemous.   
  
Junmyeon slapped his hand against his own face from incredulity. "Look,  _scholarship student_ –" He said this with such mockery, Kyungsoo could feel his cheeks sear from embarrassment even though he technically shouldn't be ashamed. "–you are in  _my_  school on  _my_  family's sponsorship, and you play by  _my_  rules.  _Tu comprends_?"  
  
Even if Kyungsoo did not take formal lessons in French, he knew perfectly well what that meant. Then again, pride stood in the way, and Kyungsoo had to bite on his tongue to stop himself from saying something scathing. The short exchange with Junmyeon told him that it wasn't going to be a smart move, especially when Junmyeon had the whole school behind him. He could really run Kyungsoo down to the ground with a snap of his fingers if he so wished.  
  
Satisfied with his silence, Junmyeon smirked and rolled his shoulders backwards, shoving his hands down the pockets of his perfectly ironed black slacks. "Now, what should I do to you? Shall I have the student body torture the hell out of you until you request for a transfer?"  
  
"I think–" Dancer Boy spoke up, and Kyungsoo found that his friends all turned to him in surprise, as though not really expecting him to speak. "–that you should just have him be your slave for the rest of the academic year. Pretty sure it's going to be amusing."   
  
Just when Kyungsoo thought things couldn't get any worse than actually getting murdered by the students, Dancer Boy came up with such a suggestion. The admiration he held for Dancer Boy quickly melted into resentment.   
  
"Why, Jongin, that is actually a  _brilliant_  idea."   
  
“I will not–" Kyungsoo started, extremely indignant, because why the fuck should he be enslaved by some rich ass kid at this time and age?   
  
"Did I not make myself clear enough?" Junmyeon cut him off with a dangerous smile. "You are in no position to bargain for your life. Not anymore."  
  
Kyungsoo had no choice but to curl backwards, his insides boiling with resentment towards the dancer boy called Jongin.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
"EXO," Kyungsoo read aloud from the screen, all while scowling at the website's excessively obnoxious use of blinkies as its background, "is made up of four of the richest, most desirable male students of SM High. This includes Kim Junmyeon, heir of SM Holdings, as its leader, and his three childhood friends as his sidekicks."  
  
Kyungsoo snorted. Sounds a lot like a group of rich, pampered, overprotected trust fund kids going around bullying others into submission because they have all the money and time in the world to do so.  
  
"Kim Jongdae," Kyungsoo read aloud, matching the name to the boy with kittenish features. "Genius artist who has organised multiple solo art exhibitions all around the world. Also the Casanova extraordinaire."   
  
What the fuck, he thought. A bully who was actually talented at something. Perfect and handsome. It was a shame his attitude clouded the rest.   
  
"Huang Zitao," the next name read, "rumoured to be the son of an underground Chinese triad who is actively involved in drug trafficking and dealing of arms in Seoul–" At this, Kyungsoo gulped. He was lucky to have been saved from having his ass kicked. "–but no one can confirm nor deny this piece of information."   
  
Again Kyungsoo frowned. Zitao seemed the type to bask in the fear of others towards him. He definitely wasn't going to clarify the rumours surrounding him.   
  
And the last, Kim Jongin. Kyungsoo's eyes gradually widened as he read Dancer Boy's description – grandson of the ex-prime minister of South Korea, with a propensity and talent for dance. The list of dance championship titles under his name was enormous, and while Kyungsoo wanted to believe that he had won them merely because of his famous grandfather and not because of his talent, he was greeted with the sight of awards from overseas dance academies and institutions as well.   
  
By the end of the fan page dedicated to EXO, Kyungsoo found himself slumped in his chair, in complete awe over what he had just read. God could be unfair, he thought bitterly to himself. Otherwise it wouldn't explain why such a cruel group of people could have so much talent and good looks shared between them.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo jumped up in surprise, the tip of his pen leaving a very unsightly mark across his homework when someone came over to his desk and gave it a hard kick.   
  
"What the f–" He began, glaring up at the other person, only to have his words stuck in his throat when he realised what a burly kid he was.   
  
"Junmyeon-nim wants you in EXO's meeting room, now."  
  
He was about to question why the fuck that idiot heir wanted him to be around, and  _then_  he remembered with a start.  
  
Oh yeah, he was Junmyeon's slave now – has been Junmyeon's slave for the past week or so.   
  
Frankly, his condition was marginally better than Kyungsoo had imagined it to be; it was more towards him being constantly annoyed rather than tortured. Junmyeon always called on him for the pettiest of things, like helping Junmyeon tie his shoelaces or clean their meeting room or simply fetching something for Junmyeon and his three other minions to eat. They were probably aiming to ruin his dignity, but they will never know how an average person lived, since they have been cocooned in luxury from birth. It wasn't very much different from Kyungsoo's usual chores at home.   
  
They didn't have to know that, though. Kyungsoo liked watching their smug expressions, and he could keep this as his own secret for a little while more. It would be a pleasure to smash their fantasies somewhere down the line.   
  
But he had to abandon his work for now, to be of servitude (as Junmyeon had put it) to the idiot heir. For that, Kyungsoo had to sigh and drag his feet out of the class, towards EXO's meeting room tucked away in a quiet corner of the Business Studies building.   
  
When he arrived at the room, though, there was no idiot heir in sight, only Kim Jongin with a smug smile on his face as he lounged on the plush velvet sofa. There may be a time when Kyungsoo had greatly admired Jongin for his dancing, but right now, he had nothing but disdain and dislike. He was sure Jongin could see the expressions on his face.   
  
"Where's Junmyeon?" Kyungsoo snapped impatiently from the doorway, not even wanting to step into the room. It was much easier to get out of here if he were closer to the exit.   
  
"Isn't is supposed to be Junmyeon-nim for you?" He replied, the smirk growing wider at the way Kyungsoo had visibly cringed at the reminder.   
  
"I can call him whatever I like. You're not the boss of me." Kyungsoo huffed. "Where is he?"  
  
Much to Kyungsoo's annoyance, Jongin gave a nonchalant shrug. "Who knows?" The answer was vague, grating on Kyungsoo's nerves even more.  
  
"You're his friend–"  
  
"Doesn't mean I'm babysitting him," Jongin smiled, then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, watching Kyungsoo keenly. Kyungsoo hated the fact that he  _liked_  Jongin's lilt and deep voice. "Anyway, I don't know if you'd believe in me, but I was the one who called you here using Junmyeon's name."  
  
What the  _fuck_ – "If you think this is all a fucking game to you–"  
  
"Yo, chill. You need to stop acting like you have a stick up your ass, Do Kyungsoo." Jongin leaned back against the sofa and spread his arms out across the length of the backrest. "I felt you might need some time away from the madness in your classroom. Isn't it a good thing to rest here for a moment? This  _is_  the most comfortable place you can get."  
  
Kyungsoo thought about the recording studio in the Performing Arts building, where he felt infinitely more at ease than he would ever be in this room, and laughed. "Don't pretend that you know me that well, Kim Jongin."   
  
And he turned on his heels to leave, not caring if he'd just hurt Jongin's rich kid pride. It was about time these assholes learned some lessons in creating interpersonal relationships, anyway.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo doesn't always bow down to Junmyeon's every whim. He still had his own pride to upkeep, so whenever Junmyeon asked him to do something beyond ridiculous, something which Kyungsoo couldn't swallow, he would defy the idiot heir and ignore his orders. He wasn't Junmyeon's – or EXO's, for that matter – dog; he wasn't going to lick their shoes clean for them just because they asked him to.   
  
He should've seen it coming, though, the backlash that came with ignoring an order from Kim Junmyeon who thought that he was the king of the world. Kyungsoo would probably take everything they had in store for him, as long as they stayed away from the people and things he loved. For now, he didn't have to worry about the former; Kyungsoo didn't have any friends in school, anyway, and they didn't have any information regarding his family (at least, Kyungsoo hoped they didn't).  
  
When Kyungsoo walked into the recording studio one day and found everything thrashed, however, he was completely livid. Never mind that it was his favourite place on the campus, his safe haven from the chaos that was SM High, they _actually_  had the nerve to mess with school property. Granted, Junmyeon's family owned the school, and he was the heir in his own right, but at the end of the day, Junmyeon was still a student in the school, and Kyungsoo felt that he should be subjected to the same set of rules governing every other student who were enrolled in this school.   
  
Just when he was about to go give Junmyeon a piece of his mind, though, Kyungsoo nearly slammed right into none other than Kim Jongin. He wondered if Jongin was putting up a very convincing act, because the other boy looked as shocked and appalled as Kyungsoo probably did when he noticed the condition of the studio. Kyungsoo's mind could not compute.   
  
"I'm sure you've had a hand in this so don't even pretend to look surprised." Kyungsoo snapped at him before he could even think. He had just about enough of Junmyeon and EXO's shenanigans, and he honestly couldn't be fucked if they were the ones running the school.   
  
Jongin seemed genuinely taken aback by Kyungsoo's accusation. Kyungsoo was  _very_  confused. "I'm a performer myself. Do you think I'd wreck someone else's place when I know how exactly it feels to have someone ruin my dance studio?"  
  
Kyungsoo frowned in reply. He hated that Jongin made sense. Even if Jongin teased him half the time, he was surprisingly defensive of Kyungsoo when it came to their interest in performing arts. "If not you, then who?"  
  
Jongin was immersed in his thoughts for a brief moment, but the change of his expressions was rapid, from confused to understanding to one akin to an impending thunderstorm.   
  
Kyungsoo was startled when Jongin suddenly slammed the side of his fist against the door. "I'm going to talk to Junmyeon about this," he said, and stormed right off.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo's week of misfortunes never seemed to end.   
  
Days after stumbling upon his safe haven thrashed, Kyungsoo found himself being manhandled by two burly students, hauling himself to an empty corridor despite all the kicking and screaming Kyungsoo was doing – not that, you know, anyone would come to his rescue – before shoving him against the wall, pinning him there in a manner that reminded Kyungsoo of an impending crucifixion ceremony. He fought off the shudder, raising his head in defiance.   
  
"Let me go," he said as calmly as he could. By now, Kyungsoo was sad to say that he was already used to being bullied on a daily basis. He was like the ragdoll of SM High. "What do you want with me?"  
  
One of the taller ones laughed. "It's not what  _we_  want, but rather, what Junmyeon-nim wants."   
  
Of course. Kyungsoo frowned inwardly. Who else but Junmyeon?  
  
"He better show up soon. I haven't got all day." Kyungsoo grumped, unable to bring himself to really care about the backlash he was bound to receive. After spending weeks in SM High, he had learned the way of life there. Being at the bottom of the food chain, he was bound to be pecked upon, regardless if he does anything out of line or not.  
  
"Such big words for someone so insignificant," someone clicked their tongue from around the corner, evidently having heard what Kyungsoo had to say. Kyungsoo's frown only deepened when he recognised to whom the voice belonged to.   
  
"If I'm insignificant," Kyungsoo started, "then why should  _you_ , of all people, take notice of me?" His frown had turned into a full-blown scowl by the time Junmyeon stopped before him. The smug expression on Junmyeon's face made Kyungsoo's fist itch.   
  
Junmyeon's answer was a careless shrug. "I take note of everyone who's stupid enough to cross EXO."  
  
"It's about time someone should." Kyungsoo shot back. "You've had the entire school at your feet for way too long."  
  
"And I intend to keep it that way," Junmyeon smirked. If he felt disturbed by Kyungsoo's words, it definitely did not show. " _You_ , on the other hand, would have benefited greatly from being my slave. Too bad you can't keep your mouth shut or your head down."  
  
Kyungsoo scoffed at him, despite the danger he knew he was in. “I don’t know which time and age you’re living in, but in my time, things such as slaves don’t exist. I’d suggest you to get back to reality, y’know.”   
  
If Junmyeon had been smiling before this, he definitely wasn’t now. The two thugs who were pinning Kyungsoo against the wall seemed to have noticed their master’s abrupt change in mood, for they snarled at Kyungsoo, their grip on him growing to a painful degree. Kyungsoo couldn’t even fight back the wince at the pressure on his shoulders.   
  
“Learn your place,  _peasant_.” Junmyeon hissed, and for once, the trust fund kid actually looked threatening. “I could get you kicked out of this school any time I want, and then  _where_  will you be?”   
  
“Then do it,” Kyungsoo spat back, not caring a single bit. He never wanted to be here in the first place, and right now, he didn’t really care if he disappointed his parents for dropping out of SM High. He had enough of this shitty school and its shitty students, for all that it claims to be the top school in the country. Kyungsoo would work his ass off twice as hard in a public school to put himself through university, if he had to.   
  
Junmyeon’s eyes widened marginally at Kyungsoo’s bold challenge, before narrowing them again. “You sure have a lot of guts for someone so small. Other students wouldn’t even hesitate to kneel in submission by now.” He said, voice low and dangerous.   
  
That was when a realisation dawned upon Kyungsoo, and his mouth ran away before he could even properly process his thoughts and apply the right filters on his words. “So that’s what it is,” he began, “you’re not used to having people disobey you. That’s why you’re keeping me around and trying to force me into submission, isn’t it?”   
  
Whatever happened next occurred so rapidly, Kyungsoo couldn’t even blink. All he could see was Junmyeon flushing a deep shade of red, his fist raised, and Kyungsoo was already coiling back into the wall, even though he knew it was going to be futile. There was only so much space for him to move, and at such a close distance, Junmyeon’s aim wasn’t very likely to be off.   
  
The seconds seemed to drag on forever, but the pain Kyungsoo had been anticipating never came. It wasn’t until twin gasps erupted on either side of Kyungsoo that his eyes flew wide open. He found himself holding his breath when he saw how close Junmyeon’s fist was to his face, so much so that he was going cross-eyed from the inability to focus, and then he was suddenly slumped on the floor when the thugs released their hold on him, his knees unable to support his weight at the suddenness of the event.   
  
“J–Jongin-nim!” They both cried out, sounding surprised and conflicted, and Kyungsoo glanced upwards in a daze. The confusion grew to an even greater scale when he realised that Jongin was indeed standing there with a cool expression, his long fingers wrapped around Junmyeon’s outstretched arm which was about to connect with Kyungsoo’s nose. There was a flicker of anger in Jongin’s eyes, though Kyungsoo told himself that he was only imagining it.   
  
“Leave.” Jongin told the thugs, his voice again laced with something dark, his eyes never leaving Junmyeon. The two students exchanged an uncertain gaze with each other, unsure if they should follow Jongin’s orders or wait for Junmyeon’s next request, but in the end they ran away when Jongin repeated himself.   
  
Junmyeon, on the other hand, seemed bewildered that his friend should stop him from teaching Kyungsoo a lesson. When he recovered from his daze, Junmyeon immediately shook Jongin’s hand off, fixing the collar of his shirt as though he hadn’t just been embarrassed.   
  
“What are you doing here?” Junmyeon asked Jongin stiffly, ignoring Kyungsoo’s presence completely.   
  
Jongin clenched his jaw, and Kyungsoo swore he could sense the annoyance simmering beneath the surface. The words which left his lips moments later, though, threw Kyungsoo off completely. “Stopping you, obviously. Are you sure you want to dirty your hands for someone like him?”   
  
Well,  _rude_.   
  
Junmyeon seemed to contemplate Jongin’s words for a short moment, before huffing in obvious displeasure. “ _You_ ,” he turned on Kyungsoo, pointing a finger threateningly at him. “Count yourself lucky today,” was all that he said, and then he was gone.   
  
Jongin didn’t follow after him as Kyungsoo had expected him to, however. Instead, he glanced coolly at Kyungsoo with his hands in his pockets, watching Kyungsoo gingerly pull himself to stand.   
  
Kyungsoo had a fierce internal battle with himself as he tried to stop his knees from trembling. A part of him wanted to thank Jongin for preventing his face from getting smashed by Junmyeon’s fist, yet another part of him  _still_  refused to acknowledge the fact that Jongin had indeed helped him. In the end, the former won over.   
  
“Thanks,” he muttered miserably, feeling his cheeks flame up with embarrassment. Kyungsoo wished he wasn’t so weak, to the point of needing someone else to come to his aid. It made him feel an awful lot like a princess in distraught, and it made him sick to the stomach.   
  
Jongin sniffed. “I wasn’t helping you out. Not exactly.”   
  
Kyungsoo couldn’t stop himself from glaring at Jongin, who now had a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Kyungsoo made a mental note to learn how to control his expressions better in the future. It was obvious that he greatly needed that, especially in the presence of EXO. “I know I’m helpless. You don’t have to be an ass about it.”   
  
Jongin actually had the nerve to chuckle at Kyungsoo’s words. “Calm down. No need to get your panties in a bunch now.” He commented, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed as he scrutinised Kyungsoo. It made Kyungsoo feel awfully uncomfortable. “I believe I need to apologise, though. Junmyeon probably wouldn’t have taken matters into his own hands if I hadn’t confronted him about the studio thing.”  
  
He was in the middle of thinking about something vicious to throw at Jongin when Kyungsoo found his train of thoughts derailed by what Jongin had said. He hadn’t expected for Jongin to actually follow through with his words, because honestly,  _why should he_?   
  
Before Kyungsoo could clarify what Jongin had meant, though, the boy was already walking away with a brief wave over his shoulder, leaving Kyungsoo a lot more confused than he should really be.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
“You  _bastard_.” A low snarl came from the other side of the line the moment Kyungsoo answered his phone. He grinned at the greeting instead of feeling annoyed or perplexed, recognising the voice with relative ease.  
  
“Hello to you too, Baekhyun.” He said calmly, concealing his own amusement at the tone Baekhyun was using with him.   
  
“Asswipe,” Baekhyun sniped at him mercilessly again. “Has being in that pretentious school brainwashed the hell out of you? You think you’re too good for plain ol’ Baekhyun now, aren’t you?”   
  
“Obviously. I’m hanging around with my rich friends these days. I don’t have time for the likes of you.” Kyungsoo deadpanned, trying to sound as haughty as he could. It was always so much fun to mess around with Baekhyun, especially when they were over the phone where Baekhyun couldn’t scrutinise Kyungsoo’s expressions.   
  
“I hate you.” Baekhyun said darkly. “I hope you die a harsh death for forgetting your truest friend back in junior high just to chase after the coattails of rich kids. I’m hanging up–”  
  
At this, Kyungsoo finally could not hold in his laughter. “Baekhyun,” he chuckled, “wait. I was just messing around with you.”  
  
Much to his relief, Baekhyun laughed along with him. “I know. You wouldn’t dare ignore me… Right?” Somehow, the hesitation on Baekhyun’s part was simply endearing.  
  
“I wouldn’t ignore you for the world. You’re my best friend, even if you do neglect me for Taeyeon noona’s sake sometimes.” Kyungsoo said with mock seriousness as he shuffled over to his swivel chair, before dropping himself on it. He hadn’t noticed it before, but he really missed Baekhyun and the rest of his friends back in his old school. The friendships he made were more sincere back then – not that he has made any in SM High so far.   
  
Baekhyun made a noise which was a mixture of embarrassment and affront. “I do not neglect you for Taeng–” he said defensively, then, after a while, “–I think.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo shook his head in amusement, but he turned wistful when he caught sight of his perfectly ironed uniform hanging on his wardrobe. If only it bore a different emblem. “So, what’s up? Did you ring me up because Taeyeon noona is ignoring you?” He asked jokingly, trying to conceal the loneliness that was rushing up to greet him. The academic year had barely just begun, but Kyungsoo was already missing his life back in a public school.   
  
Baekhyun snarled again at the comment. “ _No_ ,” he said sharply. “Can’t I call you just to talk? You barely ever have any time for me anymore.”   
  
Kyungsoo winced at the accusation, even though Baekhyun couldn’t see him. It wasn’t as though he had a way around it – Junmyeon and the rest of EXO consumed most of his time in the afternoon, ordering him around, if Kyungsoo wasn’t cooped up in the recording studio doing his own vocal training. “Sorry,” Kyungsoo said, sincerely apologetic for it. “I’ve been trying to get the hang of schooling in SM High. It’s… different.”   
  
“How different can it be?”   
  
A frown creased Kyungsoo’s forehead as he considered his answer. In the end, he chose the most neutral-sounding one he could come up with. The last thing he wanted was for Baekhyun to worry about him. Baekhyun could get very protective of Kyungsoo if he put his mind to it. “It’s a little complicated to describe, but it’s okay, I’m coping fine so far.”   
  
“That’s our star student for you,” Baekhyun whooped, and Kyungsoo could hear the happiness in his voice. It brought a smile to his own lips. “Did you manage to make any friends, or did you retreat into your own shell like you always did?”   
  
Again, Kyungsoo winced at the question. Trust Baekhyun to pick where it hurts most. “I met a couple of good people,” he lied, though his mind reminded him that Jongin was probably not such a bad person. He did, after all, help Kyungsoo get out of the mess with Junmyeon. Kyungsoo would probably be sporting an unsightly bruise – or worse, a broken nose – if he hadn’t stepped in, though Kyungsoo still couldn’t fathom the reason why Jongin would want to help him.   
  
“Hmm,” Baekhyun hummed thoughtfully. “That’s good to hear. I hope they’re treating you well, or I might have to bring out my hapkido skills and kick some asses.”   
  
Kyungsoo laughed. “I’ll let you know if that happens,” he told Baekhyun, though somewhere deep down, he wished Baekhyun could hapkido Junmyeon’s ass without landing himself in jail. Junmyeon was very likely to sue them for causing grievous bodily harm if they even attempted it.   
  
He was in the middle of fantasising that scene when Baekhyun threw an unexpected question at him, causing him to choke on air. “So, did anyone catch your fancy?”  
  
Baekhyun’s cackling was extremely loud in his ear, even as Kyungsoo inhaled sharply and almost shrieked at him.  
  
“ _Baekhyun_!”  
  
Some things never change.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
It was one of the rare days when Kyungsoo had the afternoon after classes to himself. Ever since Junmyeon had confronted him personally and nearly smashed his face in for refusing to bow down to his orders, things have been suspiciously quiet on Junmyeon’s side. Kyungsoo tried hard not to think that it was the calm before a storm.  
  
As most of his afternoons were spent before he went home, Kyungsoo found himself gravitating towards the recording studio again. It didn’t seem as though anyone else knew that the place existence – either that, or they simply didn’t care. Kyungsoo was fine with that; at least he got to claim the place to himself, free from the noise and the incessant bothering from the other students.  
  
There was a smile on his face as he slid into the high stool which was located in the centre of the room, carefully pulling the oversized headphones over his ears. Over here, he could pretend that he was a recording artist, singing his heart out to the tunes which have been his companion for as long as he could remember.   
  
 _Singing will get you nowhere_ , his parents would always tell him in the past, when he had expressed his wishes to pursue a singing career in the future. They would discourage him from participating in singing competitions – banning him once, even, when they realised that he was serious. They wanted him to get a steady job, one that would guarantee a stable future, which then led to their immediate decision to enrol Kyungsoo in SM High.  
  
His heart clenched a little, when his thoughts lingered upon the fact that they couldn’t care less about  _his_  happiness and what he wanted to do with his life.   
  
Being the filial child that he was, though, Kyungsoo accepted all of their wishes without bearing a grudge. In his family, the society’s preconceived idea that the youngest child had all the freedom in the world to pursue their interests was rubbished. It didn’t matter to his working class parents, who believed that a permanent job was the only way to go for a good future – or, in Kyungsoo’s case, nab a rich heiress and live off his future wife’s fortune.   
  
Kyungsoo scrunched his nose in distaste as he flipped through his self-made book of lyrics. That was probably one thing that he will never agree upon, no matter how much his parents forced their ideals upon him. Living off another person’s riches wasn’t exactly his cup of tea.  
  
Sucking in a deep breath and then clearing his throat, Kyungsoo began singing his heart out into the microphone to Na Yoonkwon’s ‘Expectations’. Singing was therapeutic to him; it didn’t even matter that there wasn’t an audience. He had long since given up on his dreams to stand on the stage, remembering the time when his father had blown up at him for insisting on attending an audition at an entertainment company.   
  
 _Why do you want to be turned into someone you’re not?_  His father had yelled at him, as his mother had looked on with tears of frustration in her eyes.  _Entertainment companies will shape your character to their liking, and you’re going to have to wear an invisible mask for the rest of your life. Is that the way you want to live?_  
  
Kyungsoo fell short of telling his parents that by restricting him from following his heart, they were no different from these entertainment companies that they speak ill of. He didn’t feel as though his life belonged to him.   
  
When Kyungsoo opened his eyes next, he nearly fell off the chair in shock. It was only by pure luck that he managed to steady himself, and the silence in the studio was suddenly all too deafening.   
  
Standing there, watching him keenly, was none other than Kim Jongin.   
  
“Wh–what are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asked when he managed to regain his bearings. He was more confused than upset that Jongin had been watching him without making a sound, and the way Jongin’s eyes smouldered as he continued looking at Kyungsoo was making him feel incredibly self-conscious, as though he was laid bare before Jongin.   
  
“I never realised you could sing so well,” Jongin said quietly, and once again, Kyungsoo was taken aback. Compliments were the last thing he had expected from the likes of Jongin, whom so far had nothing but sarcastic remarks for Kyungsoo.   
  
Kyungsoo found himself at a loss, his mind drawing blanks when he tried to come up with something to say. “I–” He swallowed nervously, quickly getting off the high stool and tucking himself into a corner of the studio, as though it would protect his secrets from being unravelled by Jongin. “I didn’t say you could watch.”   
  
He flushed a deep shade of scarlet when Jongin scoffed at his remark, though a part of him was relieved that Jongin was back to his usual self – the way Kyungsoo knew him. “Perhaps I should remind you that you watched my practice session, too.” He shot back, and it did nothing to soothe the burn in Kyungsoo’s cheeks.  
  
Kyungsoo hated that he had a point.   
  
“I didn’t walk into the studio, unlike you.” Kyungsoo defended himself lamely, knowing that it was a losing battle. It only succeeded in earning a condescending laugh from Jongin, and Kyungsoo honestly wanted to bury himself six feet under. Anything at all to stop him from embarrassing himself further in front of Jongin.   
  
Surprisingly, Jongin gave him a two-finger salute and turned to leave. “Point taken. I’ll excuse myself now.” He told Kyungsoo, which gave Kyungsoo a sense of accomplishment.  
  
Halfway out of the door, however, Jongin paused in his steps to hold Kyungsoo’s gaze again. The light in his eyes burned with the same intensity as they had when Jongin had watched Kyungsoo sing, and Kyungsoo couldn’t stop himself from fidgeting a little.  
  
“What?” The words slipped out of Kyungsoo’s mouth before he could even stop himself.   
  
“Next time, you should let me watch you practice, and I’ll let you watch mine.”   
  
It wasn’t until Jongin was long gone from the studio that Kyungsoo realised that Jongin had essentially struck a deal with him, allowing Kyungsoo no room for negotiations. He groaned aloud, wondering what he had gotten himself into.  
  
Kyungsoo really didn’t understand Kim Jongin at all.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo  _knew_  he shouldn't have gotten too comfortable with the idea that Junmyeon had actually backed off after Kyungsoo had pointed out a very accurate observation behind Junmyeon's persistence at making Kyungsoo's life at SM High a living hell. Apparently, the five-day intermission only served to allow Junmyeon some time to cook up something else to make Kyungsoo's life miserable with.   
  
But Kyungsoo definitely didn't expect to find Junmyeon seated in the recording room after school one day.   
  
The trust fund kid was taking in the sights of the recording room when Kyungsoo had opened the first door leading to it, his face filled with unconcealed wonderment as he scrutinised each and every equipment available around him. Seated on the high stool and swivelling around like that, Junmyeon looked completely harmless from afar. One wouldn't have expected him to be the biggest bully in SM High, but that was it – you can't judge a book by its cover.   
  
Kyungsoo's expressions automatically rearranged itself into a deep-set scowl as he pushed past the second set of doors leading into the studio, feeling upset that the devil should be here tainting his haven. "What do you want?" He snapped, feeling a sense of dark satisfaction when Junmyeon jumped at the sound and nearly toppled the stool over.  
  
Kyungsoo kind of wished he fell on his ass. It would serve great justice to the world.   
  
"Talk," he said simply when he managed to compose himself, then, when Kyungsoo scowled harder at him, "I came to offer a proposition."  
  
That sounded more like Kim Junmyeon. Always business-like – not that Kyungsoo knew him well, anyway.   
  
"What.” Kyungsoo muttered darkly. “Hasn’t your pride taken enough of a beating from this  _scholarship_  kid yet?”   
  
Anger flashed across Junmyeon’s features at Kyungsoo’s words, and he swore Junmyeon probably would have launched himself at him, but the idiot heir’s self-control was quite commendable. Junmyeon inhaled deeply to calm himself down, then tried again. “Let’s put that matter aside, shall we? Start anew, or something.”   
  
Kyungsoo wanted to trust in Junmyeon, but all that he could muster was an unimpressed look. He was filled with too much scepticism to maintain an open mind. Then again, Junmyeon wasn’t worth the effort, for all the shit he had done to Kyungsoo in the past couple of weeks. “Save your breath,” he snorted instead. “You wouldn’t be doing this if you had nothing to gain from it.”   
  
The way Junmyeon’s face contorted unattractively into something akin to dissatisfaction confirmed Kyungsoo’s suspicions. “Do you even know–” he began, sliding smoothly off the stool and striding slowly towards Kyungsoo. “–how many people out there would willingly submit to every order of mine, even boast about it? And yet here you are, rejecting my offer before you have even heard it.”   
  
Kyungsoo snorted in disbelief again. Was he for fucking real? “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not like other people. I have my own principles, and one of it is to go against bullies like you–” He jabbed Junmyeon hard in the chest when the other boy got close enough to him. “–and show you that money can’t buy everything in the world – especially not friendship. You can’t force someone to worship the ground you walk on, either.”   
  
Apparently, establishing physical contact with Junmyeon was a terrible idea, because Kyungsoo found his arm getting twisted painfully behind his back seconds later. He should’ve known that Junmyeon would have some martial arts background, for all that he was prone to being kidnapped and attacked because of his family’s wealth. All Kyungsoo could think about at that particular moment, though, was the pain which continuously fired through his nerve endings, and Junmyeon’s hot breaths puffing down his neck.   
  
“I was  _trying_  to be nice, but you just had to antagonise me, don’t you?” Junmyeon’s voice had dropped into a low growl, and Kyungsoo was worried for once. Junmyeon could do anything to him in this secluded recording studio, and no one would be around to witness it. Even if Kyungsoo walked out of the room sporting a bruise, and told everyone that Junmyeon was the one who caused it, he didn’t think anyone would buy his words. After all, who would believe in someone from a middle-class family like him?  
  
“You evidently need a new dictionary, if you call that nice,” Kyungsoo hissed, and as expected, it only angered Junmyeon further. Kyungsoo tried hard not to yell when Junmyeon applied more pressure onto his arm, the pain almost unbearable now.   
  
“I will only say this once, so you better listen up.” Junmyeon snarled into his ear again. “You are going to be my slave for the rest of the year, whether you like it or not. And, if you’re thinking about disobeying me again, you can watch as your parents’ launderette gets closed down.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach at the final part of Junmyeon’s threat. The idiot heir had been doing his research, and he had evidently dug up everything possibly related to Kyungsoo’s life. There was no way out of this, now that Junmyeon was going to get his family members involved if Kyungsoo dared to cross him again. As little as Kyungsoo knew about Junmyeon, he also knew that Junmyeon would stay true to his words.  
  
Satisfied with Kyungsoo’s silence and submission, Junmyeon chuckled into his ear and gave him a condescending pat on the head. “It’s good that we have a common understanding now, Do Kyungsoo. Stick around, I’ll have new orders for you soon.” He enunciated each word slowly, mockingly, rubbing it into Kyungsoo’s face that he was trapped.   
  
It was only then that Junmyeon finally let go of Kyungsoo’s arm and walked out of the recording studio, whistling to an unknown tune on his way out.   
  
Kyungsoo could only glare at Junmyeon’s back, feeling himself being consumed by the hatred, his eyes stinging from the tears of frustration. He numbly rubbed at his sore arm, wondering what on earth he had done to deserve such a fate.   
  
Life was fucking unfair.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
“You’re hanging around us a lot more these days,” Jongin commented offhandedly as he idly flipped through Kyungsoo’s book of lyrics. Somehow, Jongin had made it a point to hang around the recording studio, even though Kyungsoo didn’t give him explicit permission to do so. By now, Kyungsoo had given up trying to get these rich kids to understand the concept of common courtesy – they did as they pleased, anyway. “Why is that? I thought you hated us.”   
  
 _Not you_ , Kyungsoo thought to himself, because it was true. Jongin may be sarcastic at times, but Kyungsoo had slowly come to see that he, at the very least, was genuine. The same couldn’t be said about his friends, however. He also had half the mind to tell him about Junmyeon’s threat the other day, but decided against it in the end. There was no saying what sort of hell would break loose if Jongin found out – the boy was surprisingly protective over Kyungsoo.  
  
That, and Kyungsoo didn’t want to be seen as such a weakling who couldn’t handle his own fights. He was going to deal with Junmyeon on his own.   
  
So Kyungsoo decided to give him the partial truth. “That Kim Junmyeon is pretty persistent. He wouldn’t leave me alone until I agreed to be his slave–” Then, as an afterthought, he narrowed his eyes at Jongin. “–which, I believe, you are to blame for that.”   
  
Jongin seemed confused for a moment, pausing in the middle of flipping past the lyrics of Baby Don’t Cry, before he remembered what had happened at the school field and burst out into laughter. “I didn’t expect that you’d give in so easily. I was kind of hoping you would put up more of a fight.”   
  
“You seem very delighted by your evil deed. Birds of a feather really do flock together.” Kyungsoo grumbled. He absently jabbed at his homework with the tip of his pen, not remotely in the mood to do his work or to sing. Junmyeon had texted him earlier that afternoon, asking him to get a box of commoner’s coffee ready in EXO’s meeting room by four. What the fuck was a commoner’s coffee, anyway?   
  
“Hey,” Jongin chided mildly, a little more serious now. “I may be Junmyeon’s friend, but it doesn’t mean I condone whatever he does.”   
  
Kyungsoo quirked an eyebrow at Jongin, who didn’t seem to have realised it, because he was flipping through the rest of the pages again. “Huh. Doesn’t seem that way to me.”  
  
He sucked in a deep breath when Jongin raised his gaze and pinned Kyungsoo down with it. The intensity of his eyes was making it somewhat difficult for Kyungsoo to breathe. “It’s true.” Jongin insisted, and Kyungsoo was inclined to believe in Jongin. He had never lied to Kyungsoo so far, and Kyungsoo didn’t see why he would start doing that anytime soon. “We became acquainted because of the friendship between our families, not because I felt that our characters were similar.”   
  
Kyungsoo leaned back in his seat, pursing his lips in thought. “Then why did you join his gang?”  
  
Jongin actually laughed out loud at that, and Kyungsoo suddenly felt incredibly stupid. “It’s his idea; he felt that we childhood friends should stick together.” His body was still trembling from mirth. “I’m not really supposed to tell you this, but Junmyeon isn’t allowed to be friends with anyone else but us.”  
  
“What? You’re kidding, right?” Kyungsoo frowned, not really buying Jongin’s words. It was the 21st century, not the Stone Age. No one was forbidden from befriending another person.   
  
Jongin shrugged noncommittally. “All I can say is that you have much to learn about the upper caste of society, hyung.” He said, before clapping his hands together, disrupting Kyungsoo’s train of thoughts. “Anyway! I’m hungry, let’s go have chicken!”   
  
Jongin’s sudden announcement threw Kyungsoo off, and before Kyungsoo could even decline his invitation, Jongin was already dragging him out of the recording studio. As always, Kyungsoo decided that it was easier to give in than to resist, knowing that Jongin probably didn’t want to divulge more about Junmyeon’s life than he already had.  
  
Homework could always wait, he supposes.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
After that little run in with Junmyeon at the recording studio, Kyungsoo was a lot more cautious whenever they were in the same room. He now knew how explosive Junmyeon’s temper could get, and he honestly didn’t want a repeat of that incident. His arm still throbbed from the phantom pain, sometimes.   
  
To his surprise, though, Junmyeon acted as though that incident had never happened. In fact, he was a lot more considerate – if he could even be capable of doing that – towards Kyungsoo, giving him orders that were actually doable. Kyungsoo had half-expected for Junmyeon to run him to the ground, too, but that never happened either.   
  
“Junmyeon isn’t always cruel,” Jongin told Kyungsoo when he brought it up in private one day. There wasn’t any form of hesitation on Kyungsoo’s side to express his disbelief, because up until that point in time, Junmyeon had always made sure to tire Kyungsoo out thoroughly with heaps upon heaps of requests. Jongin, who had been catching his breath after a particularly rigorous dance routine (Kyungsoo had managed to strike a deal with the boy – one practice session in exchange for another), only smiled mysteriously at Kyungsoo.  
  
(Kyungsoo had tried hard not to ogle too blatantly at the sweat that was running down the column of Jongin’s neck. It was distracting, and it sucked out the fight from Kyungsoo.)   
  
Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if Jongin had relayed his question to Junmyeon later on, because there was an observable change in Junmyeon’s behaviour after that day. Under Jongin’s request, though, Kyungsoo decided to give him the benefit of a doubt.  
  
He could only hope that Junmyeon wouldn’t disappoint him, now that Kyungsoo was finally able to tolerate the sight of his face.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
He was sure he hadn’t done anything to piss any of the EXO members off in the past couple of weeks, which was why Kyungsoo found himself extremely confused when he was lifted right off his feet by two bigger-sized students the moment the finishing bell rang.   
  
Now, Kyungsoo wasn’t one to be afraid of those who were more powerful than he was, evidenced by the way he stood up against Junmyeon, but after two months or so of studying in SM High, he had gained enough street-smarts to know that he should never struggle against his captors. There was a 50-50 chance of it ending up in a very painful affair, and Kyungsoo honestly wouldn’t want to risk it. He had kept his body relatively free of bruises, however roughed up he may have been in the past, and he was determined to keep it that way.   
  
He grunted when the two students dumped him not-so-gently onto the ground at one of the more isolated hallways, causing him to land rather painfully on his ass, and Kyungsoo scowled up at them when they cornered him again.  
  
“What did I do this time? Did Junmyeon send you?” He asked as he rubbed at his sore spot.   
  
The more menacing-looking one threw his head back in laughter, and soon the pair was joined by another three students. “Look at you, using Junmyeon-nim’s name so easily.”  
  
That was when Kyungsoo realised that he was probably in deep shit. Just his luck to land himself in trouble with some jealous pricks. Still, he refused to let his fears show. “And that is a problem because?”   
  
Someday, Kyungsoo would learn that running his mouth like that would land him in hot soup. Today was not the day.   
  
He held the gaze of the student who squatted down to be at eye level with him – it was a boy who was close to Kyungsoo in size, his hair dyed a deep shade of brown, his nose slightly crooked. “Know your place,” he sneered, revealing two rows of nicotine-stained teeth. Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose when he was hit in the face by the smell of tobacco. “You are nothing but a slave to Junmyeon-nim. That makes you worse than the filth by the roadside when you’re in SM High. Don’t go acting all high and mighty, hanging around Jongin-nim like you’re an equal.”  
  
 _Oh_ , so that was what all of this was about. Kyungsoo couldn’t hold back the scowl from forming, even though he had long since learned not to let insults get to him. “Don’t jump into conclusions so easily. I’ve never asked for their companionship–” he hissed. He couldn’t believe that this was even an issue. “–and I can’t stop them if they want me around, either, so take a hike.”   
  
With a snarl, the boy grabbed a fistful of Kyungsoo’s shirt, pulling him forward by force. Kyungsoo was surprised by how strong he was. “Look here, you little shit–”  
  
“What do you think you’re doing?” A new voice joined them at the hallway just then, cutting off whatever the boy had wanted to say. There was a moment’s worth of silent confusion, before the boy released his hold on Kyungsoo as though the contact scalded him. The rest of his minions – Kyungsoo assumed the boy was the ring leader – also backed off considerably from Kyungsoo like he was diseased.   
  
Kyungsoo understood why they were surprised, though, when he looked up and found Junmyeon standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking extremely displeased. Zitao was also with him, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and there was a murderous gleam in his sharp eyes.   
  
Being confused was probably an understatement to describe Kyungsoo’s current state of emotions. He couldn’t fathom the reason behind Junmyeon and Zitao’s appearance – he was sure the hallway was secluded enough that no other student would’ve stumbled upon them, if the group decided to beat Kyungsoo up.   
  
“Junmyeon-nim! Fancy seeing you here!” The boy who’d grabbed Kyungsoo’s shirt stammered, a nervous grin on his face as he tried to approach Junmyeon. He didn’t make it too far, frozen in his steps when Zitao glared at him. It was, even by Kyungsoo’s standards, frightening, and Kyungsoo was struck with the realisation why there were rumours floating about regarding Zitao’s connections to the triad. He did look the part.   
  
Junmyeon, ignoring the boy’s greeting, walked forward with an air of superiority. “You did not answer my question. Do I have to repeat myself?”   
  
Kyungsoo swore he heard a small whimper escape from one of them, though he couldn’t be sure  _who_  exactly it was. “N–no!” The same boy said again, and began gesticulating wildly from nervousness. “We were just– we just wanted to talk to Do. Right, guys?”  
  
Kyungsoo didn’t even have to call them out on their lie; Junmyeon scoffed disbelievingly at his words before Kyungsoo had the chance to say anything about it. “I believe my eyes tell me otherwise.” He shot back, pausing right between Kyungsoo and the gang of now-terrified students. Kyungsoo could tell Junmyeon was pissed – for what reason, though, Kyungsoo didn’t know. “I’m going to give you five seconds to get out of my sight, before Tao here decides that it’s time to practice his martial arts.”  
  
As if on cue, Zitao began cracking his knuckles and his neck, falling into the motion of some warm-up exercises.   
  
It was almost comical, how the group of students immediately made a run for it, stumbling over their own feet in the process in their haste to leave. Sticking to the time restriction imposed by Junmyeon, they disappeared in record time, and Kyungsoo’s eyebrows rose in amazement.   
  
He didn’t actually remember that Junmyeon and Zitao were still there with him, until Junmyeon nudged him lightly with his shoe. “Did they actually bash your skull in or something? Snap out of it already.”   
  
The frown was back on Kyungsoo’s face in an instant, but he couldn’t find it in himself to send a sarcastic remark at Junmyeon’s direction. As bizarre as it was to admit, Junmyeon  _did_  actually get him out of the metaphorical shithole he had landed himself in earlier, and Kyungsoo was a person who knew how to give credit where it was due.   
  
“No,” Kyungsoo said as mildly as he could without sounding annoyed by Junmyeon’s earlier question. “I’m perfectly fine. Thanks, I guess.”  
  
“I wasn’t exactly planning on helping you. Keep out of trouble already.” Junmyeon said unexpectedly, though he didn’t allow enough time for Kyungsoo to feel incensed, already moving to leave the moment the words left his mouth.   
  
At least Zitao had the decency to look apologetic before he followed after Junmyeon, but Kyungsoo was left frowning long after they were gone.   
  
These rich bastards didn’t even have the basic courtesy to pull Kyungsoo to stand.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo  _knew_  he shouldn’t have said anything to Jongin.  
  
By experience, all Jongin would do when Kyungsoo asked him something about Junmyeon was to remain mysterious, asking Kyungsoo to find out on his own. Kyungsoo had very grumpily commented that Jongin was the most unhelpful person in the world. To his annoyance, Jongin made no effort to refute that.   
  
This time was no different. Jongin had his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise at what Kyungsoo had just told him, and his voice even came out a pitch higher when he asked, “You’re not pulling my leg, are you?  _Junmyeon_ , doing that?”   
  
Kyungsoo scowled at him. He was beginning to think that he should consider having that expression permanently tattooed on his face whenever he was with Jongin, because that was what Kyungsoo always found himself doing – scowling at Jongin. “What, do you think that I’m an attention seeker like the rest of the school now?” He snapped, ignoring the troubled expression which replaced Jongin’s surprise. Oops, that wasn’t supposed to be out in the open. “I’m serious. He kind of… saved me from those bullies, and I don’t even know  _how_  he managed to find me. It wasn’t as though I texted him or anything–” And, when Jongin watched him with amusement, Kyungsoo panicked and amended himself. “–not that I’d even think about it.”   
  
Jongin made himself comfortable on the sofa of the meeting room, folding his arms behind his head before giving Kyungsoo a sideward glance. Kyungsoo was beginning to think that this was a poor choice of location to have this talk, but Jongin hadn’t wanted to meet anywhere else – not even at the studios – citing that he was sleepy and wanted to rest. Kyungsoo had snorted when Jongin told him that; as if Jongin hadn’t gotten enough rest by sleeping in most of his classes.   
  
“Hmm,” he hummed, adding on to Kyungsoo’s nerves. “If there’s one thing I know about Junmyeon, it’s that he doesn’t ever extend his help to others, unless he’s sure that he will get something in return.” Jongin explained, and for once, Kyungsoo gained a little more insight about Kim Junmyeon. It didn’t help Junmyeon gain points in Kyungsoo’s book, though. Then again, Kyungsoo couldn’t understand what sort of gains Junmyeon could get in exchange for helping Kyungsoo out, either. He wasn’t as loaded or as connected to the rest of the world as they were.   
  
Jongin noticed the unimpressed look on Kyungsoo’s face, it seemed, because he casually added on, “Don’t dwell over it. It’s just the way he was trained by his parents from young. It’s the way most of us are programmed to think.”  
  
It was no wonder that Kyungsoo thought that most of the students in SM High were selfish, but at least that cleared things up a little. Kyungsoo didn’t know whether he should resent them for that now.   
  
“Sounds like a whole lot of bullcrap.” Kyungsoo said decidedly, causing Jongin to burst into laughter.  
  
Junmyeon found it the perfect moment to make an appearance, though, and Kyungsoo clammed up immediately. It only made Jongin laugh harder. Kyungsoo wished he could somehow smother Jongin to death with a cushion, but that would dirty his hands and land his ass in jail. Not an ideal situation, definitely.  
  
Sensing the weird atmosphere, Junmyeon raised an eyebrow at the pair. “What’s up?”   
  
Kyungsoo shook his head indicating that nothing was up, but at the same time, Jongin started talking. “Kyungsoo was just telling me how you–”  
  
This time, Kyungsoo couldn’t be fucked even if he  _did_  kill Jongin. He pounced on the younger boy immediately, covering Jongin’s mouth with a hand to stop him from saying anything more. Kyungsoo was already mortified enough as it was, and Jongin was doing nothing to help – not that Kyungsoo expected anything else from Jongin, because he was a little shit.   
  
Once he was satisfied with how gagged up Jongin was, Kyungsoo turned back to regard Junmyeon as calmly as he could, smiling dismissively at him. “It’s nothing, I swear. He was just being stupid.”  
  
Junmyeon stared at him, then at Jongin who was still cackling away beneath Kyungsoo, before making a face and walking away without saying another word.   
  
Good, because Kyungsoo thought that Jongin really needed a lesson in keeping his mouth shut when it mattered the most.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
After being Junmyeon’s personal slave for almost three months now, Kyungsoo had already familiarised himself with the class schedules of each individual member of EXO. There was a time slot where all of them would be attending classes or other activities of equal magnitude, which allowed Kyungsoo some time to venture into the meeting room without bumping into any of them. He liked his peace and quiet when he had to clean up after them,  _sans_  their curious gazes as Kyungsoo busied himself.  
  
Kyungsoo was still rather annoyed by the offhanded comment thrown at him by Jongdae, when Kyungsoo had just started out doing petty chores in their room.  _You clean up well like one of my maids at home._  
  
He stopped short of telling them that it was expected of every child when you were born into a working class family. He didn’t expect that they’d understand, anyway, with those thick skulls of theirs which were already accustomed to living in luxury and not requiring them to lift a single finger.   
  
Life was, indeed, very unfair. Kyungsoo kept telling himself this, to stop himself from getting pissed at the bunch of trust fund kids.  
  
When Kyungsoo walked into EXO’s gathering room on one sunny Wednesday, though, he immediately paused in his steps at the sight of someone sleeping on the sofa. Not wanting to wake the person up, Kyungsoo toed off his shoes and crept forward quietly, feeling completely perplexed. Kyungsoo was sure no one was supposed to be around.  
  
His confusion rapidly turned into surprise when Junmyeon’s sleeping face greeted him. It was simply  _that_  rare to catch the idiot heir out of class, let alone resting his eyes in the confines of EXO’s meeting room. That was a description which fitted Jongin more.   
  
But then Kyungsoo noticed the flush on Junmyeon’s face, and the way the perspiration was rolling down the sides of his face. It was the tail end of spring, and the air was beginning to turn humid, yet Junmyeon still had his blazer on, which didn’t make sense. As pampered as Junmyeon was, Kyungsoo was sure he knew how to at least rid himself of the jacket.  
  
Carefully, Kyungsoo reached forward to touch Junmyeon’s forehead with the back of his hand, withdrawing at once when he felt how warm Junmyeon was. The idiot heir was practically burning up from his fever, and Kyungsoo  _really_  could not understand why he had not ringed his driver to pick him up yet.   
  
Kyungsoo contemplated about walking away and minding his own business, but in the end, his conscience won him over. There was no way he could ignore someone when they were ill, not even if he disliked them, because Do Kyungsoo was too altruistic for his own good. He really should look into that someday.   
  
Sighing, Kyungsoo sat himself at the edge of the sofa, and gently shook Junmyeon by his shoulder. “Junmyeon, come on, wake up.” Looking at Junmyeon like this, he actually appeared harmless;  _handsome_ , even, and Kyungsoo couldn’t fight off the wry smile which crept onto his lips. If only Junmyeon knew how unattractive he was when he acted all high and mighty. Kyungsoo very much preferred him this way, with his guard completely down.   
  
He might actually consider being friends with Junmyeon.   
  
Junmyeon whined softly at the disturbance, taking a few more moments before he managed to pry his heavy eyelids open. Contrary to Kyungsoo’s expectations, though, Junmyeon flashed an exhausted smile up at him instead of attempting to snap his head off for catching him in such an unflattering condition.   
  
Kyungsoo decided that Junmyeon’s brain was probably too sick-addled to properly process the fact that Kyungsoo was here with him.  
  
“Damn, I got caught.” Junmyeon said quietly, and his accompanying smile made Kyungsoo’s heart jump in a weird way. Kyungsoo could never really defend himself against beautiful smiles, even though he had never expected Junmyeon to possess one.   
  
“You should have gone home to rest,” Kyungsoo chided him. “What are you going to do if you passed out completely and I hadn’t found you here?”  
  
“Sleep until the next day, I guess?” Junmyeon attempted at a grin, though the exhaustion was clearly reflected on his face. Kyungsoo completely lost his will to remain mad at Junmyeon, and his shoulders sagged as he got up in search of something to bring down Junmyeon’s fever.  
  
“Stay here, I’m going to get you a damp towel–” Kyungsoo began, though he gasped in surprise when Junmyeon’s fingers wrapped tightly around his wrist, holding him in place.   
  
“No,  _you_  stay.” Kyungsoo was amazed by Junmyeon’s ability to throw orders around, even when he was this ill. “I’ll be fine after a nap.”   
  
“But–”  
  
“ _Stay_.” Junmyeon cut Kyungsoo’s argument off, leaving no room for him to slot another word in.  
  
In the end, Kyungsoo gave in to Junmyeon’s persistence, and sat back down. “Fine, go to sleep. I’m not taking responsibility if your condition gets worse.”   
  
“You better be here when I wake up, or I’ll make your life miserable.” He mumbled again, much to Kyungsoo’s chagrin.   
  
It didn’t take long for Junmyeon to slip back into a state of unconsciousness, though when Kyungsoo tried to get up and get on with what he had originally set out to do, he found that Junmyeon’s grip on him was still strong. He didn’t want to attempt to pry Junmyeon’s fingers off him, for fear of waking the sleeping boy up. Who knew what would entail after that?   
  
Sitting there idly also made Kyungsoo realise exactly how tired he was from the day’s classes, so he leaned back against the sofa, and allowed himself to drift off into a late afternoon nap, too, with Junmyeon’s fingers still wrapped around his wrist. The warmth was oddly welcoming.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
“Is there something up between you and Junmyeon hyung?”  
  
Kyungsoo was trying to focus on the textbook laid out before him when the question startled him out of his concentration. He was about to yell at the boy who was seated across him, when he remembered just in time that he was in the library, and his yelling was probably not going to be appreciated by the rest of the students who were busy cramming for their tests. As a scholarship student, it would be very disgraceful for him to get thrown out of the library.  
  
So Kyungsoo decided to kick the boy  _hard_  in the shin beneath the table instead. He felt a twisted sense of satisfaction within him when the boy immediately doubled over in pain, biting down on his lower lip to stop himself from shouting aloud. And then, calmly, Kyungsoo picked up his pen and pretended that none of that had just happened. “Please don’t associate me with that person, Jongin.”  
  
By the time the worst of the pain had resolved, Jongin already had tears in his eyes. “Damn it, I was just asking an innocent question.”   
  
Kyungsoo glanced up from his book. “You know how it is between Junmyeon and I. Don’t be ridiculous.”   
  
For good measure, Jongin kicked off his shoes and tucked his legs beneath his body out of Kyungsoo’s reach, before he decided to broach the subject again. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s something different between you two.”   
  
“How different?” Kyungsoo sighed and leaned back in his seat, deciding that he wasn’t going to get any studying done if Jongin’s thirst for answers wasn’t satisfied.   
  
“You’re more…” Jongin pursed his lips in thought, as though deciding on the right words to use. “… _friendly_  with each other these days, after the time when Junmyeon hyung fell ill.”   
  
Kyungsoo could feel the flush creeping up his neck at the reminder. He had fallen asleep that afternoon, giving in to his exhaustion and his inability to pry himself free, and when he’d woken up, he was nearly shocked out of his skin, owing to the fact that Junmyeon had very conveniently decided to convert Kyungsoo’s lap into his pillow, and Jongdae was actually seated in the armchair across them, watching them with a smirk.  
  
Kyungsoo had never been more flustered in his life, trying to explain the situation to Jongdae who hadn’t bothered to listen. In the end, Kyungsoo had decided that he couldn’t care less anymore, only making Jongdae swear to secrecy.   
  
“It’s not like I took care of him, so I don’t know why he’s suddenly so nice.” Kyungsoo blurted a little too quickly, then winced inwardly when he realised what he had said.   
  
“You  _what_?” Jongin exclaimed, evidently surprised by this new piece of information. Kyungsoo found out the hard way that Jongdae had kept his promise, after all, so fuck his life.   
  
“Nothing!” Kyungsoo said again, as loudly as he could without being disruptive. “You heard nothing.”   
  
Jongin seemed to want to say something about it, because he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Kyungsoo, but then he shrugged and Kyungsoo knew that he was safe. “Whatever. Do you want to attend Jongdae’s art exhibition, by the way?”   
  
All the forces in the world were against Kyungsoo and his attempts at studying, it seems. He froze in the middle of a line and glanced at Jongin again, as though the boy had grown an extra limb. “Me?”   
  
Jongin pretended to look around for someone else, then scowled at Kyungsoo. “Yeah, you. You’re the only one I’m talking to.”   
  
“Why me, though? And who am I supposed to go with?”   
  
Jongin shrugged. “Just thought you might be interested, since you like artsy stuff and all. And since I’m the one asking, of course you’re going with me.”   
  
Huh, that was something new. Kyungsoo has never been invited to anything outside of academic-related activities, even back in his old school, so he figured: why not?   
  
  
\--  
  
  
When Kyungsoo had agreed to Jongin’s invitation to attend Jongdae’s art exhibition, he’d forgotten one very simple yet important fact – he was essentially going to mingle with Korea’s richest crowd. Cue Kyungsoo finding himself sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the exhibition, with his very shabby get-up of t-shirt and jeans when everyone else was practically wearing suits and cocktail dresses.   
  
Kyungsoo, mortified, nudged Jongin very painfully in the ribs as he whispered furiously at his friend. “The hell, Jongin? You could’ve  _at least_  told me this was a formal party!” It wasn’t as though Kyungsoo owned any formal attire, since he didn’t really have much use for them, but  _still_.   
  
Jongin, who was dressed significantly less extravagant than the rest but still presentable in his crisp slate grey button-down shirt and black slacks, didn’t appear to be remotely repentant for his convenient omission of information. “I might have forgotten about that,” he said nonchalantly as he waved at someone he knew. Kyungsoo honestly wanted to hide somewhere when Jongin’s acquaintance stared at him oddly.   
  
“Yeah, and now I look like a nobody who decided to crash a party for the rich and famous,” Kyungsoo grumped. He didn’t want to whine about it, but he was feeling really crappy because he felt like he wasn’t respecting the occasion, which wasn’t true. Then again, he was walking amongst people who placed outer appearance before anything else. The amount of dirty stares he had received since he’d walked into the room with Jongin was more than enough to confirm that fact.   
  
“Relax,” Jongin laughed a little at the way Kyungsoo kept pulling at the hem of his shirt, as though it could magically transform into something a lot more tasteful if he continued doing it. “I thought you didn’t care what the others thought about you?”   
  
“This is different,” Kyungsoo hissed back, quickly hiding behind Jongin when a reporter’s camera lens turned upon them. This was probably the only time he was thankful for being vertically-challenged. “See what I mean?” He said again once the reporter decided to snap photos of someone else more important than the grandson of the ex-prime minister of South Korea. “There are reporters everywhere. I don’t want to end up on the newspapers looking like  _this_.”  
  
While Kyungsoo knew that Jongdae’s masterpieces were a big thing amongst the art community, he didn’t expect him to actually be  _this_  famous. He suddenly felt unworthy to be in this room.   
  
Jongin turned around and rolled his eyes at Kyungsoo. “You’re exaggerating, Soo. It’s really not a big deal. A lot of people visit Jongdae’s exhibition dressed in a similar manner to you, anyway.”   
  
Kyungsoo appreciated Jongin’s efforts at reassuring him, but it was kind of unconvincing when he couldn’t see anyone else who dressed down within a mile’s radius. “You mean when it’s not on the opening day, right?” He asked weakly, feeling his soul getting sucked out of him.  
  
The wry, toothy grin that Jongin flashed at him confirmed his suspicions. “It’s not so bad. You know what? I think you need something to drink, so that you’ll loosen up a little. Wait here.”   
  
Panicking at the thought of being left alone in a crowd of well-dressed individuals, Kyungsoo immediately made to grab at Jongin, but the boy was much too quick on his feet for Kyungsoo to catch up. In the end, Kyungsoo found himself standing awkwardly in the centre of the room while the others milled about, and he slowly slinked to the side to avoid grabbing more attention than he already had.   
  
His luck ran thin, though, when he was spotted by some students from his school. Kyungsoo kind of wished he had an invisible cloak to throw over himself when they approached, but he wasn’t in Harry Potter’s magical land, so all he could manage was a pained smile and a half-hearted wave at them.   
  
“Wow, look who’s here.” One of the girls – Sulli, if Kyungsoo remembered correctly, the daughter of a renowned fashion designer – smirked at her clique. “I didn’t expect you to be invited to such an upscale party.”   
  
Beauty was a thing so fragile that it could be crushed when one didn’t watch what they were saying. Sulli was the perfect epitome of that. But Kyungsoo wasn’t such a petty person, even if he  _was_  dressed to look the part. He wasn’t going to stoop to their level of shaming someone else just to make himself look good.   
  
“I didn’t, either, but here I am.” Kyungsoo shrugged, pretending as though her words didn’t bother him at the slightest. “Do you have a problem with that?”   
  
“Not really,” she continued with a small laugh. Her other friends were watching Kyungsoo like hawks, their gazes sharp and judgemental. “I just thought that your… drab of a presence kind of downgrades the class of this event. Who invited you, anyway?”   
  
Kyungsoo had no idea what to answer to that question. Even if he spoke the truth and told them that Jongin was the one who had extended an invitation, they probably wouldn’t believe him.   
  
There was nothing else he could do except to stay silent, but the group of girls took it as a wordless admission that he’d crashed the party. Their smirks grew more vicious, and Kyungsoo wondered if the upper caste of society was made up entirely by plastic smiles and pretentious words, if Jongin was perhaps the only person untainted by it all.   
  
“You have a lot of nerves, walking in just like that.” Another girl said. Kyungsoo remembered her name to be Krystal, of the famous Jung sisters whom almost everyone in school pined over. “Have you lost your ability to be ashamed, just because Junmyeon-nim decided to make you his slave?”   
  
Those words again. Kyungsoo was frankly already sick of hearing them. It seemed to him that these rich kids had the vocabulary of ten-year-olds. If they wanted to take a shot at him, they really needed to step up their game, because such insults were beginning to lose its novelty.   
  
Before Kyungsoo could even comment on it, though, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around his shoulders, surprising not only him, but the girls who were trying to pick on him as well. Kyungsoo glanced to his left, only to be met with the perfect jawline of Jongin’s face.  
  
“He’s with me, and if you know what’s good for yourselves, I’d suggest you to walk away. Right now.” Jongin said with such authority, none of the girls dared to utter a single word against him. They scuttled away at once, as fast as their stiletto-clad feet could take them, but not after throwing another dirty look at Kyungsoo.   
  
“Thanks,” Kyungsoo mumbled almost inaudibly once they were out of earshot. “I could’ve dealt with them myself, you know.”   
  
Jongin shrugged, but still he kept his arm around Kyungsoo. “Didn’t seem that way to me. You need to learn how to be more assertive.”   
  
Kyungsoo scowled at Jongin again. “I know. I’m trying. You can let go of me now.”   
  
Jongin considered Kyungsoo’s request for a brief moment, before he shook his head resolutely and started dragging Kyungsoo along with him to see the art on display. “No can do. Not gonna risk having other assholes picking on you again.” He said simply. “Take it as my apology for not letting you know about the dress code.”   
  
Kyungsoo rightfully blushed when Jongin tightened his grip on Kyungsoo just a little more for it to be noticeable. It was the first time he’d been so close to Jongin, and there was a sense of possessiveness that seeped in through the fabric of Kyungsoo’s shirt, making his cheeks feel a lot warmer than was necessary.  
  
Kyungsoo didn’t really like the way his heart was doing weird flips in his chest, but he learned to ignore that soon enough.   
  
They were only friends… right?  
  
  
\--  
  
  
If Kyungsoo had to pick one incident which had changed his relationship dynamics with another person drastically, it would be the one with Jongin at the art gallery. He found that he couldn’t even be within a metre’s distance from Jongin, because his heart would start doing weird things, his cheeks flaming up at the memory.   
  
He knew he was acting like a typical high school girl, and Kyungsoo honestly disliked it. He wished there was something he could do about it, but Jongin was making life difficult for Kyungsoo because the boy could be so incredibly oblivious to his surroundings. Either way, it wasn’t as though Kyungsoo could bear rejecting Jongin’s request to spend the afternoons with him, especially when Jongin would flash him the most massive pout ever known to mankind.  
  
He should really consider taking a photo of that as blackmail material. Kyungsoo was pretty sure no one else in school, save for EXO, knew that behind Jongin’s cool and collected exterior was someone so cuddly. It would definitely make sensational news.   
  
But when even  _Junmyeon_  noticed that something wasn’t quite right between Kyungsoo and Jongin, Kyungsoo felt that it was a cause for alarm. Junmyeon wasn’t the most attentive person around in EXO, preferring to spend time being alone or making everyone else’s lives miserable if he was in the mood. Otherwise, he would most often be seen seated on the sofa with a novel or a business-related reading material in hand.   
  
(On such times, Kyungsoo actually thought of Junmyeon as charming. He liked people who read. The same couldn’t be said when Junmyeon opened his mouth, unfortunately, so Kyungsoo maintained that he still didn’t like Junmyeon.)  
  
Kyungsoo was in the midst of cleaning the grand piano when Junmyeon made an offhanded comment. “You have been keeping your distance from Jongin these days. Why is that?”   
  
Kyungsoo shot up so quickly that his head spun from the sudden change in pressure, nearly toppling over the bottle of cleaning liquid in the process. He turned to look at Junmyeon, wondering if he was talking to someone else, but there was only him and Junmyeon in the room. Junmyeon’s attention was still focused on the book he was reading, though Kyungsoo knew that he was waiting for an answer. It was obvious from the way his finger was tapping rhythmically against paper, a habit of Junmyeon’s which Kyungsoo had noticed.   
  
“I’m not keeping my distance,” Kyungsoo defended himself, even though he knew that wasn’t true. Still, he didn’t see the need to be truthful to Junmyeon. It wasn’t any of his business, anyway. “I’m still spending time with him.”   
  
Junmyeon made a noncommittal hum. “I don’t really like seeing you two together–” He said, and Kyungsoo actually did a double take at his words. What did Junmyeon mean? “–but that doesn’t equate to me not noticing things.”   
  
“You’re looking too much into the matter.” Kyungsoo insisted, though the curiosity prompted him to ask the next question. “Why do you not like it when I spend time with Jongin, though? It’s not like you’d do it yourself.”   
  
To his surprise, Junmyeon actually snapped his book shut. Kyungsoo tried not to read into his actions as him being annoyed. “When Jongin takes up all your time in the afternoon, would you have any of it left for anyone else?”   
  
Kyungsoo frowned at the question. Setting aside the fact that it was the longest conversation they had ever sustained since their first meeting, Junmyeon was being incredibly cryptic today. “I’d make time for people who ask.” He answered earnestly, because it was true. Kyungsoo was never one who’d reject company, even though he might not be in the mood to be around people sometimes. “Jongin always asks, so.”   
  
“What if  _I_  were the one to take up your time? Would you be willing to spare some for me?” Junmyeon asked again, and Kyungsoo swore that Junmyeon must have gotten some form of brain damage from his fever the other day. It wouldn’t justify why he was spewing one weird question after the other otherwise.   
  
“What are you talking about, Junmyeon?” Kyungsoo laughed nervously. He was, frankly, confused with the turn of events.  
  
Junmyeon turned around in his seat to pin Kyungsoo down with his sharp gaze then, and Kyungsoo realised he was being serious. “My question was simple. If I asked you to spend some time with me, will you do it?”   
  
“I–” Kyungsoo gaped unattractively at Junmyeon, not knowing how he should answer to the question. If he had to be honest, Kyungsoo would say no, but then he knew how forceful Junmyeon can get sometimes, so it probably wouldn’t have mattered even if Kyungsoo had rejected his invitation. He blinked and blinked again, trying to rack his brain for something politically correct to say.  
  
When the silence stretched on a little too long, though, Junmyeon automatically assumed it to be a ‘no’. He stood up abruptly in a fit of anger, slamming his hand against the leather seat in the process, the loud sound making Kyungsoo jump.   
  
“Fine, if you want it to be that way. Go spend all your goddamned time with Jongin.” He seethed, and Kyungsoo was surprised that Junmyeon was  _actually_  mad at him – Kyungsoo couldn’t figure out the reason  _why_ , though. “Go get yourself hurt, if that’s what you want. Don’t come begging for company when you realise that it’s all a mistake on your part.”   
  
Before Kyungsoo could even properly process what on earth was going on, Junmyeon had already stormed out of the activity room, past a very clueless Jongdae and Zitao, who looked back at Kyungsoo as though he was the culprit for their gang leader’s rare moment of emotional outburst. It didn’t take long for Kyungsoo to take his leave too, with Junmyeon’s last words still swimming around in his mind.  
  
Why did everyone have to be so fucking confusing?   
  
  
\--  
  
  
“You know–” Someone latched themselves onto Kyungsoo’s back while he was organising EXO’s manga collection, and Kyungsoo swore that his heart was about to leap out of his throat. For some reason, the group’s class schedules have been completely messed up as of late, and Kyungsoo kept running into them in their activity room even though he chose the times when he had been sure they wouldn’t be around. “–you’ve made our dear leader rather sulky these days. Are you going to do something to remedy that?”   
  
Kyungsoo tried to wriggle out of the person’s grip, but to no avail. He stopped trying after a while, his shoulders sagging from the extra weight. Kyungsoo sighed. “Jongdae-sshi, what makes you think that I was the one who caused his mood?”  
  
At that, Jongdae released his hold on Kyungsoo and flashed a kittenish smile at him, before hopping over to the sofa and throwing his weight onto it. “Junmyeon might have some PMS tendencies sometimes, but he doesn’t brood around for so long. Judging by the way he walked out of the room so angrily last week, I suppose it has something to do with you.”   
  
Jongdae wasn’t entirely wrong about that, but Kyungsoo wasn’t going to admit that he was at fault, either. He didn’t even know  _why_  Junmyeon got pissed at him for preferring Jongin over him in the first place. It was obvious that Jongin was a much better person to hang around with. Junmyeon was plain unpredictable, and it was honestly exhausting to simply be around him. Kyungsoo wasn’t very keen on playing guessing games for the rest of his days in SM High.   
  
“If he insists on being a complete brat, then let him be.” Kyungsoo said stiffly, shuffling over to the bar to rearrange the cups instead. Jongdae’s eyes followed after him, making him nervous.   
  
“Ouch, cold.” Jongdae commented in a singsong voice, as though this was nothing but entertainment to him. Perhaps it was. Kyungsoo was already used to being their plaything, anyway. “I don’t know if you’ve realised this, but Junmyeon cares about you quite a lot. More than he lets on, anyway.”   
  
 _That_ , Kyungsoo had to laugh at. “Are you kidding me? Junmyeon cares about me? Have you seen the way he orders me around like a real slave?”   
  
“Point taken,” Jongdae shrugged, but his gaze on Kyungsoo suddenly turned serious. “He has a different way of showing his…  _affections_ , though. Have you realised how no one’s picking on you these days? Or how he came and saved your ass from getting pummelled by the jealous group of students?”   
  
Wait a minute, the second incident wasn’t supposed to be known by anyone else but Jongin, Junmyeon, and Zitao. Kyungsoo whipped around to look at Jongdae. “I don’t get what you’re trying to say, Jongdae-sshi.”   
  
The smile brandished by Jongdae was disconcerting. “All I’m saying is that your head shouldn’t be up in the clouds all the time. Junmyeon wants to be your friend, but he doesn’t know how to go about it.” He said, then laughed again when he saw how perplexed Kyungsoo was. “A bit too much for you to digest, I see. I’ll leave you up to it, then.”   
  
Kyungsoo was left alone in the room moments later, wondering if being cryptic was one of the requirements to be Junmyeon’s friend, because they certainly have the same bloody pattern going on in each and every one of the EXO members.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
He wasn’t really someone who’d stare at his phone for hours waiting for a stupid phone call or even a text message, but when Jongin flew overseas to participate in a global dance meet, Kyungsoo wondered what the fuck had gotten into him. He didn’t know why he was so hung over Jongin’s promise that he’d either call or text Kyungsoo when he had the time; Jongin was likely throwing empty promises just to keep Kyungsoo on his toes. Jongin  _would_  be such an ass to do that. Kyungsoo had gotten a taste of that before.   
  
He groaned aloud when the fleeting thought of him acting like a high school girl passed him by again. Kyungsoo really had no idea why he cared so much about Jongin, or why was he so concerned about Jongin’s condition in a foreign country. The boy was likely to have people accompanying him, being someone of a high social status and all, and Kyungsoo was just a  _nobody_.   
  
He jumped and nearly dropped his phone on the floor when it rang all of a sudden, though Kyungsoo wasted no time in unlocking it and checking his message inbox. There were two emotions which attacked him simultaneously – the first was disappointment because it wasn’t from Jongin, and the second, bewilderment.   
  
Kyungsoo scrubbed at his tired eyes for good measure, thinking that he was hallucinating because of his exhaustion. Even so, three characters stared back at him from the screen, completely unchanged.  
  
 _Kim Junmyeon._    
  
Granted, Kyungsoo had given Junmyeon his number so that the idiot heir could contact him anytime he needed Kyungsoo to run an errand for him, but so far, all of Junmyeon’s text messages and phone calls came during schooling hours. He chanced a look at the clock on his desk, which read 9:45pm, and thought that Junmyeon must be out of his mind – or really,  _really_  bored. Still, Kyungsoo opened the message.   
  
 _Stop pining after Jongin. Nothing good will come out of it._  
  
Kyungsoo turned a deep shade of scarlet at being called out, then scowled at the screen of his phone, as though Junmyeon would be able to see it if he tried hard enough.  _What makes you think I’m waiting for his message?_  
  
The reply was instantaneous.  _You just exposed yourself._  
  
What the fuck.  _Are you really that bored? Go bother someone else._  
  
 _You’re fun to pick on^^_  
  
Kyungsoo was  _this_  fucking close to switching off his phone, but he reminded himself that he should be more tolerant towards idiots like Junmyeon. Hating on another person would only bring him bad karma.   
  
 _Thanks_ , Kyungsoo typed furiously, hoping the sarcasm would carry across.  _Jongdae-sshi said you should stop acting like a girl who’s having her PMS, btw._  
  
It wasn’t exactly true, but Junmyeon didn’t have to know. Besides, Kyungsoo had wanted to get back at Jongdae for the longest time ever.   
  
This time the pause was a little longer, then:  _I’m going to fucking kill him._  
  
For the first time that night, Kyungsoo actually laughed heartily to himself, thinking about the things Junmyeon would do to Jongdae. This was definitely going to be a sight to behold, and he hoped that he could be there to witness it unfolding.  
  
But for now, at least Junmyeon had humoured him enough to make Kyungsoo forget that he was actually waiting for someone else to establish contact.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
The summer heat was getting more unbearable by the day. Coupled with the fact that his air-conditioner wasn’t in working order, Kyungsoo was virtually unable to sleep well at night. The exhaustion was catching up to him, and Kyungsoo could not be more thankful that his phone had remained mercifully silent that morning. It usually meant that Junmyeon had no need for him, and while Kyungsoo was sorely tempted to head to the studio to sing his heart out, sleep was a more enticing option for now.   
  
It was why Kyungsoo found himself dragging his own feet out of the school, pushing his bicycle along and hoping that he wouldn’t trip on its wheels. Landing face first on the asphalt wasn’t exactly Kyungsoo’s definition of an ideal situation. He was so groggy at the moment, from a combination of the humidity and his lack of sleep, that it was a miracle he was still able to walk. Although Kyungsoo wanted to get home as soon as he could, cycling all the way back home was also a no-go. He was probably going to cycle himself right into an oncoming car and land himself in a hospital bed – assuming he was lucky enough to survive.   
  
Being sleepy also meant that he had practically tuned out the rest of his surroundings, because it would use up way too much brain power than Kyungsoo was capable of handling right now. He didn’t even notice two well-dressed men in neatly-pressed suits, which should raise alarm on its own, heading right in his direction after getting off a very expensive-looking limo.   
  
He was midway being carted off into said limo before he realised what was going on, and when he was about to shout for help, one of those men pressed a handkerchief which smelled suspiciously of chloroform against his mouth.  
  
Kyungsoo had the living daylights knocked out of him faster than he could think:  _help_.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Something smelled really good.  
  
That was the first thought which came to mind when Kyungsoo regained his consciousness. The second thought was _damn this bed is comfortable_ , and the third, it was  _cold_.   
  
It took a while before his brain managed to piece these information together, and longer still before he remembered that he was supposed to be walking himself home. His efforts at attempting to picture the process drew blanks, and it wasn’t until the fibres in his body had failed to recognise the bed he was lying on that Kyungsoo’s eyes flew wide open.   
  
It was a grave mistake to sit up so quickly, though. The sudden rush of blood to his brain had his head spinning, and Kyungsoo had to brace his hand against the bed to steady himself before he threw up everything he had for lunch – which wasn’t much to begin with.   
  
He didn’t reopen his eyes until most of the dizziness had faded away, and when he did, Kyungsoo was greeted by the most luxurious room he has ever seen in his life. He noticed that he was seated on a king-sized four-poster bed, the bed sheets no doubt having a high thread count because it was extremely smooth to the touch. There was a grand piano at the nearest corner of the room, its wood made of the most expensive mahogany, and around him, the room was decorated with priceless Ming vases and other trinkets which Kyungsoo could not put a finger on.   
  
It didn’t help ease Kyungsoo’s confusion, because he had no recollection of having checked himself into a five-star hotel, but Kyungsoo  _did_  panic when the thought crossed his mind.  
  
He immediately glanced downwards at his own body, even though he knew he was being ridiculous. Who would force themselves on  _Kyungsoo_ , of all people in the world? Still, he was relieved to find himself fully-clothed, and not a piece of his uniform was out of place.  
  
“Like the room?” Someone suddenly spoke up while Kyungsoo continued taking in the sights of the room, making Kyungsoo jump. He whipped his head in the direction of the door, and he could feel his blood pressure shooting sky high the moment he laid his eyes on the person who was leaning against the wall. His brain put two and two together, realising belatedly that he wasn’t in a five-star hotel somewhere in Seoul, but in Kim Junmyeon’s  _house_.   
  
“Kim Junmyeon, for the love of God–” Kyungsoo raised his voice, exasperated at the idiot heir’s tasteless actions which nearly gave him a heart attack, “–if you’re not planning on telling me why you practically kidnapped me from school, I _swear_  I’m going to call the police on your ass.”   
  
The smirk on Junmyeon’s face at his outburst was infuriating. So infuriating, Kyungsoo would’ve punched him, if only he weren’t in Junmyeon’s mansion at the moment. “So feisty.” Junmyeon hummed as he walked over to the grand piano and leaning against it, quirking an amused brow at him. “I have to attend a charity dinner tonight, and I want you to go with me.”   
  
It was an order, not a request.  
  
Kyungsoo was suddenly at a loss for words, and he was sure he had his signature deer-in-the-headlights look as he stared back at Junmyeon. Was the idiot heir  _actually_  being serious right now? Kyungsoo was annoyed, and he definitely wasn't in the mood to entertain yet another one of Junmyeon's tasteless pranks. He’d had just about enough of them.  
  
Several more minutes passed them by before Kyungsoo regained his ability to speak, and the first thing he managed to blurt out was: “Me?! Why me?” He very nearly slapped himself in the face for being  _so very eloquent_. Not.   
  
If it were possible, Junmyeon’s smirk grew wider at the question. Kyungsoo sat on his hands to stop himself from reaching for something to launch at Junmyeon’s head; that Ming vase on the side table was tempting him. “Because I have to bring someone unknown. The rest of the girls in school are regulars at these social events, and I don’t want to invite any unnecessary misunderstandings from the others."  
  
“Why  _me_?” Kyungsoo asked again, and he wasn’t referring to the fact that he was virtually unknown in school (though he wasn’t so sure of that now, seeing as to how Junmyeon and his bunch of friends kept picking on him and making his life a living hell). “And couldn’t you have asked me the normal way instead of knocking me out with chloroform and getting your…  _people_  to drag me all the way here?”  
  
“You’re my slave for the rest of the academic year. Have you forgotten?” Junmyeon pointed out not-so-innocently. There was an amused gleam in his eyes. “Besides, I didn’t think you were going to agree. Don’t get me wrong though – I’m not giving you an option to say ‘no’, either.”   
  
“Right.” Kyungsoo practically deflated at the reminder. Then he straightened himself again when he remembered something else. “Wait. Aren’t you supposed to bring  _girls_  to such events? Last I checked, I have an extra appendage between my legs  _and_  I certainly don’t prance around in skirts.” He scowled.   
  
If Kyungsoo was hell-bent on getting himself out of this stupid situation, Junmyeon was equally as persistent at getting him  _in_.   
  
“Oh, we can fix that.” Junmyeon waved him off with a vague statement, and Kyungsoo guessed he had no choice but to agree. Who knew what kind of hell would be waiting for him if he bailed out on this?  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Hours later, Kyungsoo found himself hanging onto Junmyeon’s arm and greeting guests with an extremely forced smile, dressed in a pink knee-length dress with elaborate lace details, a killer pair of heels, and a wig, his face choking under heavy layers of makeup.   
  
He wondered if it was too late to reconsider his decision to smash Junmyeon’s head in with that Ming vase.   
  
“Stop frowning. You look constipated, and it’s not very attractive.” Junmyeon leaned in and whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear when they were finally left alone for the night. Kyungsoo turned to scowl at him, failing to notice that Junmyeon had called him  _attractive_  over all the resentment he was feeling for Junmyeon. Kyungsoo backed off slightly when he realised they were  _too close_  for comfort; he could smell Junmyeon’s cologne from the lack of distance.   
  
“You’re going to be the one who’ll be constipated –  _permanently_  – when I get out of this party alive.” He threatened under his breath, smiling saccharinely when someone else greeted Junmyeon. There was a dark sense of glee bubbling within Kyungsoo when Junmyeon's guest visibly flinched at his expressions. Served Junmyeon right for forcing him to be his date.  
  
“It’s not that bad, is it?” Junmyeon chuckled, and, despite Kyungsoo’s ongoing thoughts about taking revenge on Junmyeon, his heart did a weird flip. It was nothing like the mocking laughter he would always hear from Junmyeon, and he hated to admit it, but it sounded  _nice_.   
  
 _Do Kyungsoo, get a fucking grip on yourself_ , he told himself, and faced Junmyeon with a deeper frown. “Easy for you to say. You’ve been to events like this all your life, and the biggest event I’ve been to was my cousin’s birthday party at McDonald’s.” He complained, then caught himself when he realised he was bordering on whining. “Besides, did you really have to give me these  _heels_?” Kyungsoo glared at his footwear in disgust. They were admittedly pretty, but they were killing Kyungsoo’s feet so no, he wasn’t fond of them.   
  
Junmyeon gave him a noncommittal shrug. “You had to look the part. You  _are_  going out with the son of the richest family in Korea after all.”   
  
“You  _forced_  me to come.” Kyungsoo corrected him impatiently. “There’s a huge difference between the two.”   
  
He flushed a deep shade of scarlet when Junmyeon took a step back and gave him a sweeping glance from top to toe. Kyungsoo suddenly felt very naked under Junmyeon’s scrutiny. “Well, you look good anyway, so take this as a one-off thing for you to... pretend you’re a lady. Or something.” Junmyeon mused. Kyungsoo was further surprised when Junmyeon bowed at him and extended an open palm towards Kyungsoo. “Would you like to dance, my lady?”   
  
There was a mixture of anticipation and exasperation stirring within Kyungsoo as he accepted Junmyeon’s request. His skin tingled in an odd sort of way where Junmyeon’s warm hands had touched him, and Kyungsoo tried his best to focus on the dance steps instead.  
  
If there was one thing Kyungsoo refused to allow to happen, it was him tripping over his own feet and landing ungracefully on the floor. In a dress.  
  
He failed to notice Junmyeon’s smile as he watched Kyungsoo’s determined expressions, or the jealous onlookers around them as they danced through the crowd.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
“I didn’t know you were into cross-dressing.” An amused voice commented from behind, and Kyungsoo made a strangled noise into the microphone, his song promptly interrupted. It was almost embarrassing, how out of tune Kyungsoo was at being surprised, but he quickly covered that up by clearing his throat.   
  
Kyungsoo also refused to acknowledge that he was actually delighted to be greeted by Jongin’s bright smile, schooling his expressions into one which spoke of exasperation instead. In a way, he was a little displeased with Jongin for forgetting his promise. “I thought you were still busy with your dance meet in America.”   
  
Jongin gave a careless shrug. “I landed in Seoul this morning, and was greeted by these photos all over the news.” To get his point across, Jongin brandished his iPad at Kyungsoo, and scrolled through each of his browser’s tab. They invariably showed pictures of Junmyeon and a very female Kyungsoo next to him greeting guests at the charity ball together, while others depicted them dancing together. “Way to get the entire nation interested in you.”   
  
Kyungsoo groaned aloud at the humiliating shots and buried his face in his manuscripts. “Kill me already. How am I going to walk on the streets now?”  
  
“Relax,” Jongin laughed and launched himself onto a spare stool by the side, still perusing the news articles with great amusement. “Reporters are some of the most resourceful people I know, and for them to not know your identity already, it means you make a very convincing girl. Last I heard, Jongdae and Zitao were pestering Junmyeon about his date yesterday evening too.”  
  
“Then how did  _you_  know it was me?” Kyungsoo chanced a look at Jongin, who grinned back at him.  
  
“I’ve been spending  _a lot_  of time with you, Soo. Give me some credit.”   
  
Fighting against his mortification, Kyungsoo pulled out his own phone and accessed the news portals too. He stared at his photos for a long while, and decided that if he wasn’t involved in this, he probably wouldn’t have recognised himself either. “I still don’t get how you managed to recognise me through all the makeup that Junmyeon’s makeup artists had slapped onto my face.”   
  
When Kyungsoo looked up next, he found himself holding his breath. Jongin’s face was so incredibly close to his, and if he leaned an inch forward, their lips would already be touching. When did Jongin even get up from his seat across the room?   
  
Kyungsoo swallowed hard, feeling completely flustered when Jongin reached up and gripped his jaw gently, his gaze burning into Kyungsoo. Several heart-stopping moments passed them by before Jongin’s lips cracked into another breath-taking smile, and Kyungsoo swore that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from actually kissing Jongin full on the mouth if the boy didn’t move away within the next couple of seconds.  
  
Mercifully, Jongin managed to catch onto Kyungsoo’s silent plead, and put a more comfortable distance between them. Still, the smile remained plastered on his features. “Has anyone told you that you have pretty distinct heart-shaped lips? I managed to recognise you in one of the pictures when you were smiling.” He said quietly, the look in his eyes softening into something that Kyungsoo couldn’t put his fingers on.   
  
The moment was ruined when Jongin’s phone started ringing shrilly, and Jongin made a face after he read the text message. “My driver’s here to pick me up. I guess I won’t be able to spend the afternoon with you, after all. I’ll make it up to you some day, though.”   
  
Kyungsoo gulped when Jongin patted him on the head. He knew he should be getting mad at Jongin, since Jongin was the younger one between the two, and Jongin’s actions were plain disrespectful, but Kyungsoo found that he  _couldn’t_.   
  
His heart wouldn’t stop pounding furiously against his chest, even after Jongin was long gone from the studio, and Kyungsoo shakily moved to sit himself in a lower chair, for fear that he was going to faint and knock his head on the equipment around him. He pressed a hand over his heart and willed it to  _slow the fuck down_ , to no avail, and the crippling realisation dawned upon him.  
  
He was in love with Jongin, and Junmyeon had seen it coming from a mile away. Well, wasn’t Kyungsoo just fucked?  
  
  
\--  
  
  
If Kyungsoo had distanced himself rather frequently from Jongin the other time after Jongdae’s art exhibition, him realising that he had actually fallen for the beautiful, talented dancing boy brought his avoiding to an all new level.   
  
Kyungsoo didn’t even head to the recording studio much anymore, unless he was certain that Jongin had classes to attend in the afternoon. It was probably by sheer luck that they didn’t run into each other in school, and Kyungsoo was also thankful that Junmyeon was calling on him a lot less these days.   
  
The thing that Kyungsoo was most grateful for, though, was their summer break. It meant that they wouldn’t be seeing each other for at least a month, and Kyungsoo hoped that his infatuation (he insisted on calling his feelings that and refused on admitting to anything more) for Jongin would fade out eventually.   
  
What he didn’t expect was for his hands to itch whenever he laid his eyes on his phone, eager to reach for it and shoot off a quick text to Jongin, just to ask him how was his summer break going on. It definitely didn’t help that Jongin had been spamming his phone with unanswered messages and phone calls, and Kyungsoo knew that his feelings for Jongin was something stronger than infatuation.  
  
The thought itself suffocated Kyungsoo, though. He may be attracted to people of the same gender, but it didn’t mean that Jongin felt the same way, too. Granted, Jongin wasn’t like Jongdae, who’d walk around the school with a new girl hanging off his arm every other week. He did not make a public display of his sexual preference, either. But then there were his confusing signals and actions which were, on occasion, more intimate than Kyungsoo would’ve been comfortable with, if it had been someone else other than Jongin.   
  
 _R u ignoring me bcoz I didn’t text u when I was in the US? :(((((_ , Jongin’s latest text message read, and Kyungsoo groaned into his pillow at the sight of the smilies he had used, because he could actually picture Jongin pouting at him in his mind. It weakened his resolve by a lot, and before Kyungsoo could give in to the temptation, he switched his phone off and put it away, hoping that the urge to reply Jongin would go away.   
  
How did things suddenly get so complicated, anyway?  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Summer break for Kyungsoo was pretty much awesome, if you discounted the fact that he was still actively trying to ignore his feelings for Jongin. He had always enjoyed helping his parents out at the launderette during his free time, since he loved the smell of washing soap and fabric softener. It may sound odd to any other person out there, but Kyungsoo thought that the smell helped him relax.   
  
However, when a suspiciously familiar limousine stopped on the street outside his parents’ shop one fine day, about three weeks into his break, no amount of fabric softener could even get Kyungsoo to calm down. All it took for Kyungsoo to start diving to the back of the shop was the appearance of the limousine’s driver, but his mother had faster reflexes than Kyungsoo could ever care to give her credit for.   
  
He wondered if his exasperation could be tasted in the air. Kim Junmyeon’s smile, hidden behind an obnoxiously large pair of shades, told him otherwise.   
  
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” his mother patted him as calmly as she could on the back, but Kyungsoo wasn’t fooled. He could hear the way her voice trembled from excitement, and he was sure there was a lot of answering to do once he was successful in getting Junmyeon to scram from his shop.   
  
For good measure, Kyungsoo stomped all the way to the windows and dropped the blinds. Junmyeon’s limousine was attracting far too much attention, and his busybody neighbours were trying to peer into the shop to catch a glimpse of the legendary heir of SM Holdings, like he was a hotshot celebrity. Kyungsoo tried not to snort at the thought. Junmyeon had enough idolisers in school; he didn’t need them in Kyungsoo’s neighbourhood, too.   
  
"So," Kyungsoo began in what he hoped was the most threatening tone he could manage once he was done doing that. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punt you out of the shop right now."   
  
Miraculously, Junmyeon didn't take the bait like Kyungsoo had expected him to. He only smirked back at Kyungsoo. "It's only been three weeks since I’ve last seen you, and you've already forgotten all about our relationship? I didn't peg you as someone so heartless, Kyungsoo."  
  
Despite knowing exactly what relationship Junmyeon was talking about, Kyungsoo flushed a delightful shade of scarlet at his words, mainly because he knew his mother was eavesdropping on their conversation at the back of the shop. She'd slammed into one of the shelves, no doubt, and Kyungsoo could hear her crystal clear. Damn, her mind must be going on overdrive.   
  
Flustered, Kyungsoo inched forward and cornered Junmyeon against the row of dryers, hissing furiously at the idiot heir. "My mother is going to misunderstand us. Can you not sprout such words as you please, in my shop no less?"   
  
"Why are you so worried about that?" Junmyeon's smirk grew wider, challenging Kyungsoo on.   
  
In a moment's carelessness, Kyungsoo groaned exasperatedly at Junmyeon. "She doesn't know I'm  _gay_ –" he began, only to slam a hand over his big fat mouth when he realised belatedly what he'd just told Junmyeon.   
  
No one else in the world knew of Kyungsoo's well-kept secret, apart from Baekhyun. But Baekhyun didn't count, because he was the first guy Kyungsoo had ever fallen for and confessed to. Why did he have to accidentally spill his greatest secret to someone he could barely tolerate?   
  
Kyungsoo, quite frankly, wanted to burn himself alive when Junmyeon's smug expressions turned into one of pure surprise, though contrary to his expectations, there wasn't a single hint of disgust – not even concealed – on Junmyeon's face.  
  
“You’re–”  
  
Kyungsoo quickly pounced on Junmyeon and smothered his mouth to stop whatever he was about to say, before the mortification became too much for him to bear. It was already difficult enough to live as a homosexual individual in conservative Korea, let alone having his family openly shun people like him without knowing that he was one himself. It didn’t really matter, though, as long as his family was kept out of the loop.  
  
“ _Yes_ ,” he snarled sharply, knowing that Junmyeon wouldn’t stop pestering about it if he tried to convince Junmyeon that he had heard Kyungsoo wrongly. It was probably better to just confirm it. “Now can you  _please_  not utter that word under this roof again if you don’t want to see me getting disowned?” Then, as an afterthought, Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes menacingly at Junmyeon. “And, if anyone else in school finds out about it, I’m going to end you too.”   
  
Junmyeon nodded calmly, patting Kyungsoo’s arm gently and accepting his terms without putting up a fight. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure why he had trusted in Junmyeon so easily, and released his hold on Junmyeon before his driver reported Kyungsoo to the police for inflicting bodily harm on his charge.   
  
“Fine, you have my word–” Junmyeon said a little louder now, while he straightened his clothes. “–but in exchange for that, you have to attend the Hangang cruise party that I’m throwing this weekend. I’m not taking no for an answer.”   
  
 _Junmyeon will never agree to something if he doesn’t gain anything from it_ , Jongin had told him once, and Kyungsoo just realised how true that was. But it was a good offer, he supposed, so he held his hand out for Junmyeon to shake, pretending that they were sealing an important business deal.  
  
“Deal.”  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo wrung his hands in nervousness as he neared the pier, where Junmyeon’s cruise ship was supposed to depart from. While he had confirmed time and again with Junmyeon that this was a strictly casual affair (unlike Jongdae’s art exhibition launching), he still couldn’t find it in himself to relax adequately. There was something about being surrounded in luxury which made Kyungsoo feel completely out of place – because Kyungsoo was plain and from a lower socioeconomic standing than the rest of his school. It wasn’t exactly wrong to say that the poor became slaves to the rich, since they had to depend on them to eke out a decent living. It was just how the food chain of the human world worked.   
  
Kyungsoo bowed and thanked the driver for dropping him off once they’ve arrived. Even though Kyungsoo had insisted against it, that he will be able to get to the pier on his bicycle just fine, Junmyeon was adamant at sending his other driver to pick Kyungsoo up from his parents’ laundrette. His mother had squealed and gushed so much about him being like a precious princess getting picked up that Kyungsoo ran out of the laundrette covering his ears, the embarrassment too much to take.  
  
He absolutely refused to admit that he was like a girl in this whole thing. His manly pride was getting a little too bruised for his liking.   
  
Jongdae was the first to greet him – and drag him towards the cruise ship with an arm around his neck – the moment he spotted Kyungsoo appearing completely lost amongst the crowd of what probably was the  _entire_  school’s population. Kyungsoo was in an upbeat mood though, so he didn’t mind the treatment much.   
  
“I didn’t expect that you would come, Kyungsoo.” Jongdae commented, smoothly waving at a group of girls who shrieked in delight when he acknowledged their existence. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel a little jealous at that. He wished he had the ability to charm the others, but the cold, hard fact remained that he was quite the awkward potato around others. It was by a miracle that he managed to fit in with the most popular group in SM High at all, even if he was nowhere near them in terms of looks or social standing.   
  
“I didn’t, either.” Kyungsoo answered honestly, rubbing the back of his head. “Junmyeon kind of forced me to.”   
  
At that, Jongdae laughed aloud. “You shouldn’t let Junmyeon push you into doing everything, you know. I quite liked it when you actively went against him. It was a refreshing change.” Sometimes Kyungsoo wondered if Jongdae was actually Junmyeon’s friend, from the way he kept antagonising Junmyeon.   
  
And yeah, Kyungsoo would’ve continued doing that, if it wasn’t for the threat Junmyeon had thrown at him several months ago, about shutting down his parents’ launderette by force if Kyungsoo didn’t play along with his requests. At least things weren’t so bad, now.   
  
So in response, Kyungsoo flashed Jongdae a wry smile while still trying to keep up with the other boy’s pace. “It can get quite tiring to fight him all the time,” he told Jongdae, and it was the truth. It could get very emotionally draining and frustrating sometimes.   
  
“Well,” Jongdae shrugged, giving in to the reality that he wasn’t going to get his own brand of fun any time soon. “I guess so. At least he’s not acting like a sour bitch these days.  _That_  was intolerable to the highest degree.”   
  
He knew he should learn his place and give Junmyeon due respect, but Kyungsoo couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of his throat. He could use someone to poke fun at Junmyeon with sometimes. The rest of the school would probably go up in arms and run him to the ground if he as much said anything remotely disrespectful about Junmyeon.   
  
Kyungsoo tried hard to repress the shudder at the memory of being chased down like he was the main target in a witch-hunt. It seemed like something from a distant past to him – a past which he was more than glad not to relive.   
  
“I can hear you bitching about me, Jongdae.” A voice that was more amused than annoyed approached them from behind, and Kyungsoo could hear Jongdae cussing under his breath next to him. Kyungsoo sucked in his bottom lip and attempted his level best not to burst out laughing when Jongdae immediately released his hold on Kyungsoo.   
  
“I’m just going to find Liyin now, bye!” was all that Jongdae said, before he was running for his life, sprinting all the way up the ship in search for the person he’d mentioned.   
  
“That’s his more permanent girlfriend,” Junmyeon commented, as though sensing Kyungsoo’s curiosity, and Kyungsoo whipped around in surprise. “Hi, I was expecting for you to send my driver off when he went to fetch you.”   
  
Kyungsoo had a difficult time deciding whether he should frown or grin awkwardly at Junmyeon, but whatever his resultant expression was, he was sure he looked constipated. “We made a deal. I’m not a person who would go against my words.”  
  
“Good to hear that. Just so you know, though, I was planning to invite you on the cruise even if you hadn’t told me about _it_.” Junmyeon flashed the most brilliant smile at Kyungsoo when he heard that, throwing Kyungsoo off greatly. He wasn’t expecting that to happen at all, not even half the sincerity Junmyeon was putting forth right now.   
  
Not knowing what else he could say, because his resentment had dissipated completely, Kyungsoo watched Junmyeon expectantly instead. “Well, I’m here now. Are you going to show me around the ship or something?”   
  
If at all possible, Junmyeon’s smile grew brighter. “I was wondering if you were going to ask.”   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Junmyeon was surprisingly quite the good host to his guests, Kyungsoo learned as he was being shown around the ship. Something about Junmyeon’s hospitality made Kyungsoo relax significantly, as though he was truly being welcomed on board. He kept reminding himself that Junmyeon was like that to the rest of his guests, though – the trait had probably been ingrained in him since he was young, considering his family’s status and all – and tried not to look too much into Junmyeon’s actions.   
  
The tour was brief, however, and Kyungsoo even felt a little disappointed by the end of it when Junmyeon expressed that he had to leave Kyungsoo alone for now to entertain someone else. In the end, Kyungsoo thanked Junmyeon for his good grace and ushered him on his way. Kyungsoo could deal with this ship on his own, considering the amount of entertainment facilities scattered all around. He wasn’t up for any form of socialising (not that he knew of anyone else apart from EXO on this ship, anyway), so he decided to wander around in search of the music room which Junmyeon had mentioned fleetingly when the ship started to cruise down the Hangang river, and everyone else preferred to soak up the sun on the deck instead.   
  
But in knowing that he was surrounded by hormonal teenagers (himself included), Kyungsoo thought he should have been a lot more careful in picking random doors to open up. He should have anticipated that he’d run into students who decided that hiding away to make out instead of joining the rest of their peers was a more enticing option, but he didn’t.   
  
Kyungsoo flushed bright red when he landed himself in the awkward situation of walking into a couple who did just that, though he froze in the middle of closing the door when he recognised one of the faces in the room.  
  
Jongin.  
  
No matter how many times he had told himself repeatedly to walk away,  _right the fuck now_ , Kyungsoo found that he couldn’t move a single inch, his eyes watching unblinkingly at the scene unfolding before him.   
  
It wasn’t until Kyungsoo had looked closer that he realised Jongin had his forehead pressed into the shoulder of none other than the renowned Chinese doll-faced model Luhan – someone Kyungsoo looked up to greatly – and his strong arms were wrapped around the slim waist of the other man. There was a sort of gentleness to the lines of Jongin’s body, one that Kyungsoo had never seen on the boy before – the sort of gentleness which Kyungsoo could only hope to possess. It was painful to watch.  
  
Although muffled, Kyungsoo could make out the words which later left Jongin’s lips. “Have you any idea how much I’ve missed you?”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart wrenched at the sound, hearing the immense longing and love in those few words.   
  
 _I’m sorry for leaving without a word, Jongin_  was all that Kyungsoo managed to hear, before his mind immediately shut out the image of Luhan tilting Jongin’s chin upwards and sealing Jongin’s lips with a chaste, tender kiss.   
  
He had no idea how he managed it, but Kyungsoo was able to close the door without alerting the two lovebirds. The click of the door was much too loud in his ears, intermixed with the incessant pounding of his heart against his eardrums, and Kyungsoo was already walking as fast as he could away from the room, his fists clenched by his side. It was a good thing that Jongin and Luhan didn’t come chasing after him; he had no idea how to face Jongin right now.  
  
Fate was indeed cruel to Kyungsoo. After all the time he had spent agonising over the fact that Jongin was quite possibly straight and had absolutely no interest in Kyungsoo, he had to find out in such a twisted manner that Jongin was actually just like Kyungsoo. Even so, Kyungsoo knew that he had no hopes in measuring up to Luhan. The man was, in Kyungsoo’s eyes, the epitome of perfect. His success in the modelling world was one to be envied of, and Kyungsoo greatly admired how he had went against his extremely influential parents’ protests and pursued what he loved.   
  
In short, Luhan was everything Kyungsoo could only dream of being. His relationship with Jongin was only another addition to the ever-growing list.   
  
Kyungsoo didn’t manage to get too far, though. Unbeknownst to him, Junmyeon had been standing at the end of the corridor, watching Kyungsoo’s expressions and reactions to the event with keen eyes. Kyungsoo found himself sucking in a deep breath when he nearly crashed into Junmyeon, seeing that he was too wrapped up in his own mind to actually pay attention to his surroundings, but thankfully he managed to stop himself in time.   
  
It did, however, take all his effort not to let his brave smile fall.   
  
Then again, Junmyeon wasn’t one to be so easily fooled. His lips were pressed into a thin, firm line as he looked at Kyungsoo quietly, and it wasn’t until Kyungsoo had tried to excuse himself that Junmyeon’s hand flew out to hold Kyungsoo in place.   
  
Kyungsoo was utterly confused when he looked up at Junmyeon, and he swallowed at the hardness in his eyes, not knowing what was Junmyeon thinking about.   
  
“What’s wrong, Junmyeon? I need to– I need to go get some fresh air.” He laughed anxiously, swallowing again when Junmyeon’s grip only grew stronger.   
  
“You saw everything, didn’t you?” He asked, voice as hard as the look in his eyes. Kyungsoo didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he thought he could hear a trace of sympathy in Junmyeon’s words.   
  
Instead of answering Junmyeon’s questions, and despite the intense craving to get off the ship, Kyungsoo surprised even himself when he opened his mouth. “I don’t suppose you have a  _noraebang_  on this ship, do you?”   
  
  
\--  
  
  
There was a pleasant kind of soreness in his throat when Kyungsoo fell onto the velvet sofa with a loud thud, feeling completely spent. He was still surprised by his boldness, but Kyungsoo figured that at this particular moment, he couldn’t really give a fuck about showing someone else how much he loved to sing. The fact that he de-stressed himself through singing was only an added bonus.   
  
When Kyungsoo finally managed to catch his breath after a long marathon of Linkin Park’s songs, his ears still ringing from the loud music, he turned a little to his left and found Junmyeon watching him with that measured look of his again.  
  
He knew what Junmyeon was thinking about, but Kyungsoo tried not to let it get to him, forcing himself to laugh instead. “What, are you too stunned by my singing skills to talk?” He asked, trying for smugness. Somehow, his voice sounded flat even to his own ears.   
  
“Stop trying to avoid the subject,” Junmyeon pointedly ignored Kyungsoo’s question. From the look on his face, Kyungsoo realised that Junmyeon wasn’t going to let him get out of it anytime soon, and his grin froze in place.   
  
Then it got too exhausting to maintain a happy façade while he was feeling like utter crap deep within. Kyungsoo sighed and gave up, pulling himself to sit and muting the music that was still running in the background. “Yeah, well, what do you want?”   
  
He was fully prepared to receive loads of mockery from Junmyeon, but again, Junmyeon surprised him by heaving a sigh too, leaning back against his seat and shutting his eyes. “I warned you about this. That you’re going to get hurt if you get too close to Jongin.”   
  
Despite himself, Kyungsoo’s heart stuttered momentarily at Junmyeon’s words. Indeed, he had said that to Kyungsoo once. Kyungsoo had thought Junmyeon was only being jealous because he was spending more time with Jongin instead of Junmyeon. But now that he thought about it, had Junmyeon always known about his feelings for Jongin, even before Kyungsoo himself came to realise it himself?  
  
Kyungsoo suddenly felt like a great joke. “You saw it coming, didn’t you?”  
  
Junmyeon shrugged a little. “I guess.” Then, even though Kyungsoo hadn’t asked, Junmyeon started divulging about Jongin and Luhan’s history. “They were childhood friends, you know. Luhan has always been there for him ever since he became orphaned. In a twisted way, Luhan became both Jongin’s parent and first love because he’s the only one Jongin has ever truly allowed to enter his world. It’s also why we were surprised when he got close to you so soon.”   
  
Kyungsoo chewed on his bottom lip. Somehow, it felt like he had been used as a substitute to ease Jongin’s loneliness while Luhan was gone. “Then… why did Luhan leave?”   
  
“You know about his ambitions. Jongin did, too, but he didn’t want to accept them. He was the one who asked Luhan to leave without letting him know, but when Luhan did as he was told, Jongin was devastated. He retreated further into his own shell, and invested his attention on dancing. It’s how he became so good, because he channels all his emotions into his choreography.”  
  
Kyungsoo thought about the times he had watched Jongin practice his choreography. While Kyungsoo didn’t exactly have a good eye for dancing, it wasn’t difficult for him to sense the emotions behind each move. For the longest while ever, Kyungsoo had wondered why Jongin’s moves always evoked the sadness within him, but now he knew.   
  
Funnily, Kyungsoo no longer felt as upset as he had when he saw Luhan kissing Jongin in that room – liberated, even. It was obvious to him now, that Jongin was still very much in love with Luhan. He wasn’t going to be the one to stand between them – not now, not ever.   
  
“It was just a little crush. I’ll get over it soon enough.” Kyungsoo remarked, a little more cheerful now, the smile on his face more sincere. He then turned to Junmyeon with his hands on his hips, lips quirked into a smirk. “Are you going to sit there, or are you going to sing with me?”   
  
Junmyeon seemed taken aback by the invitation, as though he had not expected for it to happen. To be fair, though, Kyungsoo  _had_  been dominating the microphone and the song list ever since they had marched into the room two hours ago, refusing to stop even though his throat felt parched. His vocal cords were going to take a severe beating after today, but Kyungsoo felt the need to let himself go.   
  
With a lopsided grin, Junmyeon picked up the spare mic on the table, and announced loudly into it. “You’re on, Do Kyungsoo.”   
  
That day, Kyungsoo discovered another pleasant side of Kim Junmyeon. The idiot heir wasn’t such a terrible singer, after all.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
In all honesty, Kyungsoo didn’t expect for Jongin to actually introduce Luhan to him. Cue loads of bafflement when he walked into Jongin’s usual dance studio after receiving a text from the boy, only to find Jongin seated on the floor and engaged in a deep, lively conversation with Luhan. Kyungsoo thought he’d feel bitter at the sight, but mercifully, he only felt nothing but gladness on Jongin’s behalf. While it was true that Kyungsoo had never seen Jongin smiling so happily before, he didn’t think he would begrudge it.   
  
Jongin jumped up from the parquet flooring like an excited little child the moment he saw Kyungsoo, pulling Luhan up with him. Kyungsoo did feel a bit star-struck with Luhan’s perfect presence so close to him, but he tried not to let his fanboy side show. In fact, he felt proud of himself when he managed to stay calm enough to shake Luhan’s hand.   
  
“You must be Kyungsoo. It’s nice to finally meet you. Jongin has been telling me an awful lot about you.” Luhan beamed, causing Kyungsoo to be horribly self-conscious. He wasn’t anyone special enough to warrant a mention in front of a celebrity model like Luhan.  
  
“I hope he didn’t annoy you with my name. I’m not anyone special,” Kyungsoo shuffled awkwardly, wondering if he should let go of Luhan’s hand first or if it would be rude of him to do so. Kyungsoo had always been a little inept at picking up social cues, and that flaw of his was made glaringly obvious when he entered SM High.  
  
He didn’t know if Luhan was being polite, but he laughed a little at Kyungsoo’s words. “If you’re important enough for Jongin to mention you to me, then you’re special.” Then, as if sensing Kyungsoo’s apprehension, Luhan insisted again. “I’m serious. Don’t feel that you have to restrain yourself around me. I don’t bite. Right, Jongin?”   
  
Kyungsoo smartly covered up the fact that he choked on air at the thought of something incident occurring between Luhan and Jongin with a cough, hiding his face behind a fist and hoping fervently that his blush wasn’t too obvious. Even if Luhan had noticed it, he didn’t comment – or, he probably thought that Kyungsoo was flustered by his praise.   
  
“Shut up, Han.” Jongin shoved at Luhan shyly – something that was very uncharacteristic about Jongin, as far as Kyungsoo was concerned – before running to the music player in the far corner of the room, saying that they were taking up his precious practice time for his next competition.   
  
Kyungsoo’s awkwardness was amplified a thousand-fold upon being left alone with Luhan. Never mind that he was never good at socialising with others to begin with, Kyungsoo also had no idea what he should talk about to the boyfriend of the guy he sort of likes.  _Hey, I think I’m in love with your boyfriend_  was definitely out of the question, unless he wanted to have his throat slit right then and there.   
  
Thankfully, Luhan knew exactly how to deal with people like Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was mildly surprised when Luhan gently grabbed hold of his elbow and led him out of the studio, but he caught himself just in time before he started flailing in panic. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight, Kyungsoo was sure.   
  
“Jongin focuses better when he’s left alone in the room,” Luhan told Kyungsoo the moment he closed the door behind them, probably sensing Kyungsoo’s questioning gaze. “He won’t mind us leaving, don’t worry.”   
  
“I’m sorry, I–” Kyungsoo paused a little, trying hard not to fidget in Luhan’s presence. It was kind of difficult, when Luhan’s eyes on him seemed to delve into the deepest parts of Kyungsoo’s soul. “I’m not really a good talker.”   
  
As if he wasn’t already flustered enough, Luhan actually laughed at his words, and Kyungsoo immediately dipped his head to hide his surely-pink cheeks. He wondered if he would ever see an end to his self-mortification tendencies.   
  
“It’s fine,” Luhan consoled him with a warm hand on his shoulder. “Being a good listener is, I think, the most important thing of all, and it seems you were able to do that for Jongin – and everyone else in EXO, for that matter.”   
  
Kyungsoo’s eyes snapped up to regard Luhan, watching his expressions carefully to see if the man was pulling his leg. He saw nothing but sincerity in Luhan’s warm gaze, and that was where the cluelessness resurfaced. “I don’t get it.”   
  
Luhan had a smile on his face as he approached the dance studio and pressed his palm against the glass window. His eyes were full of love and tenderness for the boy inside, and Kyungsoo felt as though he was intruding upon a very private moment. He could see how much Luhan had missed Jongin, and it broke the very last of Kyungsoo’s intentions to ever confess to Jongin about his feelings. It didn’t matter now, not when Jongin had someone to love. All Kyungsoo wished was for Jongin to be happy.  
  
“He has been suffering all these years while I was gone, as with Junmyeon, Jongdae, and Zitao.” Luhan said, as though it was fully self-explanatory. “I was like an elderly brother figure to them, you see. They all grew up in households which places more focus on proper etiquette than true family love, as did I. Pardon me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think you’ve experienced the sort of environment where ridiculous expectations are piled onto your head, and you’re expected to carry yourself with utmost dignity. You can’t even toe the line and let yourself go, let yourself enjoy the things you truly want because you don’t want to be a disappointment to your family. You  _can’t_  be a disappointment.”  
  
Kyungsoo considered Luhan’s words for a moment, and had half the mind to rebut them, but when he thought back about the times when his mother cared for him while he was sick, and the way Junmyeon had to fend for himself when he was down with a fever, he withdrew those thoughts. His family might expect a lot from him, but Kyungsoo didn’t think the pressure he faced at home could rival the ones faced by EXO.   
  
The world of the rich and famous was a completely different universe from the one Kyungsoo was living in. The reality had never struck him as hard, until now.  
  
“I didn’t do anything particularly special.” Kyungsoo told Luhan, his eyes gravitating towards the dancing figure in the room. Jongin was probably the luckiest out of the group amidst his misfortune of losing his parents at a young age, being allowed to do dancing without much opposition. He couldn’t even begin imagining what the others were facing. It was then that he remembered the news of Luhan’s father threatening to disown him in public if he ever dared pursue modelling, and Kyungsoo chewed on his bottom lip. He would definitely feel suffocated if he were in their shoes.   
  
“You didn’t put them on a pedestal despite their family backgrounds.” Luhan shrugged. “That’s what I’ve heard from Jongin, anyway. It’s what they needed to remind them that they’re humans like the rest. If I were to be honest, our lives are ones that I wouldn’t wish upon a layperson.”   
  
“But you found your freedom,” Kyungsoo pointed out, and Luhan’s smile turned mellow.   
  
“Only because I was brave enough to go against my parents. Junmyeon, Jongdae, and Zitao do not have the option. Their families are some of the most influential ones in South Korea. Even if they managed to fight for their freedom, their future path will be a rocky one.”   
  
Kyungsoo fell silent, not knowing what else he could say. After all the times he had spent with EXO, he came to realise they were cruel to others because that was how they were brought up – with the idea that the only the strongest were eligible to live. It wasn’t as though they didn’t feel guilty about it after what they have done; Jongdae, at least, had confessed that fact to Kyungsoo on a passing whim.   
  
“I’m glad you were there for Jongin when I wasn’t.” Luhan said again, causing Kyungsoo to inhale sharply. “He’s very fond of you, that boy, and I hope you won’t leave him alone to fend for himself when I’m not around to protect him.”  
  
“He’s strong enough to stand on his own feet, I believe.” Kyungsoo admitted. He had observed that side of Jongin for a while now, and found that Jongin was doing reasonably well, despite having lost his parents from young. “I think he’ll be happier if you could contact him more, even if you were gone.”  
  
Kyungsoo couldn’t even begin counting the number of times he had caught Jongin staring longingly at his phone whenever they hung out together, waiting for a call or a message which would never arrive, no matter how frequently he took a look at his screen. It was only after Kyungsoo had witnessed Jongin and Luhan kissing that he realised Jongin had been waiting for the other man’s news.  
  
Luhan beamed at him. “I know. He told me about it the other night.” There was a short pause, before Luhan’s voice dropped to just above a whisper as the music filled their ears. “He’s lucky to have you as a friend.”  
  
Kyungsoo thought about all the times he had felt truly accepted as a part of SM High thanks to Jongin, and shook his head with a smile. “I think I’m the one who’s blessed to have met him.”  
  
  
\--  
  
  
“I have never pegged you for a masochist.”  
  
Kyungsoo came to a halting stop at the comment, narrowing his eyes menacingly at the person who’d said it. Around them, overseas-bound travellers were walking around in abundance, and the airport announcements kept pouring out of the speakers and filling his ears with tinkling alerts.   
  
“What do you mean by that, exactly?” He frowned, and much to his infuriation, Junmyeon shrugged nonchalantly at his question.  
  
“Jongin,” he stated simply, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. “Shouldn’t you be feeling like your gut is being wrenched out of your body? I mean, I don’t get how you can stand the sight of the person you like kissing someone else before you.”   
  
Kyungsoo found himself rolling his eyes at Junmyeon. “I’m not as shallow as you think I am, Kim Junmyeon,” he snapped back, careful to keep his voice low. It wouldn’t do to attract too much attention to themselves; Kyungsoo had the unfortunate experience of being caught in a crowd of Junmyeon’s fans several days ago when they had went out to the supermarket together, and he honestly didn’t want a repeat of that. It had made him borderline agoraphobic.   
  
That aside, Kyungsoo was mildly surprised by how close he had gotten to Junmyeon, after that tiny incident at the _noraebang_  during the cruise. They still didn’t quite see eye to eye on most things, but at least they weren’t bickering at every chance they had, and Kyungsoo felt marginally more comfortable being alone with Junmyeon. This was unfortunately not one of those times when they called for truce, however, because Kyungsoo was  _not_  masochistic.   
  
“Enlighten me, then.” The smirk on his face was infuriating, and Kyungsoo really wanted to wipe it off with a punch. Too bad they were in public.   
  
“I’ve gotten over things.” He said as-a-matter-of-factly, feeling the fight seep out of him when he remembered his talk with Luhan. “It’s obvious that Jongin only has eyes for Luhan, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”   
  
Junmyeon hummed thoughtfully as they made their way through the airport crowd again, trying to find the location where they had left Jongin and Luhan alone so that they could spend some final moments being together before Luhan boarded his flight back to Beijing. Kyungsoo had to admit, it was difficult watching Jongin cling to Luhan – not because he was jealous, but because he knew that Jongin would retreat into his own shell for the next couple of days from being too upset about Luhan’s absence again. If anything, it was a good thing they were parting on amiable terms this time, instead of having Luhan disappear on Jongin one fine day. He dreaded to think what would happen to Jongin if it were the latter.   
  
“Does that mean that you’re open to the dating pool again?” Junmyeon suddenly commented, and Kyungsoo did a double take.  
  
“What did you just say?” He watched Junmyeon cautiously, and much like the other times where he couldn’t be bothered to reply, Junmyeon just shrugged.  
  
“Nothing,” he said dismissively, then started dragging Kyungsoo by the elbow in the northwest direction. “Come on, I found them.”   
  
Kyungsoo decided to file the running question in his mind for the next time, when he could interrogate Junmyeon in a more private setting. He couldn’t fathom why Junmyeon would ask him something like that.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
This was weird. This was really,  _really_  weird.   
  
It was all Kyungsoo could think of when he stared at the text message displayed on his phone, but no matter how many times he closed and reopened it (it didn’t matter if he was being ridiculous), the words remained the same.   
  
 _Meet me at Namsan Tower tonight_ , it read.   
  
Normally, Kyungsoo wouldn’t have found it odd, but this was Kim Junmyeon they were talking about. Autumn hit them earlier than expected this year, bringing with it chillier nights. Kyungsoo knew just how shitty Junmyeon was with colder weather, so it didn’t make sense to Kyungsoo why Junmyeon would ask him out that night. He was pretty sure the weather forecast predicted temperatures to dip to thirteen degrees, and the winds were going to be strong.   
  
 _Why, are you trying to get me to do your dirty work again?_ , Kyungsoo shot back a quick text. It also didn’t make sense to him, why of all people, Junmyeon would want to ask Kyungsoo out – unless he had something else in mind, like making use of Kyungsoo to do his bidding, of course.   
  
For good measure, he took a screencap of his weather app and sent it to Junmyeon as well.   
  
 _Is it wrong to ask you out because I wanted to?_  The reply came back in record time, making Kyungsoo think that either Junmyeon didn’t care, or had ignored the second part of Kyungsoo’s message on purpose. The idiot heir could be so difficult sometimes.   
  
Kyungsoo frowned again. Junmyeon didn’t do things  _just because_.   
  
 _‘m not going. I have class in the morning_ , Your Majesty.  _Look for someone else._    
  
He was just about to switch off his phone and deal with his pending homework when his phone vibrated again.  _I’m going to send someone to your house if you don’t appear by 8._  
  
Kyungsoo had never wanted to change his number or move out of this house so badly before. That fucker.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
He furiously rubbed his hands together and blew on them in an attempt to warm them up, all while bouncing around like he was desperate for a toilet break. It probably wasn’t too far from the truth; his bladder was rapidly filling up from the coldness, and Kyungsoo kind of wished he wore a thicker coat. The weather that night was chillier than predicted, what with the wind blowing hard. Kyungsoo honestly wanted to just go home and curl up in bed with a hot mug of tea instead of waiting here for a stupid idiot who couldn’t even be on time, Junmyeon’s threats be screwed.   
  
He was about to act on his desires when someone suddenly pressed a warm cup against his cheek, making Kyungsoo yelp and jump in surprise. He whipped around to the sight of Kim Junmyeon, though surprisingly instead of laughing at him, Junmyeon merely smiled instead.   
  
The tip of Junmyeon’s nose was red from the cold, Kyungsoo observed, but he was too pissed to care about the possibility that Junmyeon was going to fall ill from this, even if he knew that Junmyeon’s immune system was as shitty as his attitude.   
  
“Don’t smile at me when you’re late, asshole.” Kyungsoo snapped without thinking. “I’m going to hold you responsible if I froze to death here.”   
  
“I got here earlier–” Junmyeon told him, “–but I went to get some hot drinks because I figured you might be cold.”   
  
Kyungsoo hated that Junmyeon possessed the ability to render him completely speechless in the matter of seconds. This time was worse because he couldn’t even fault Junmyeon for his thoughtfulness. Instead, Kyungsoo grumpily accepted the cup of hot chocolate from Junmyeon and pressed his pursed lips against the lid. The warmth that slid down the column of his throat and spread throughout his body was such a great welcome.   
  
When he felt marginally warmer than before, Kyungsoo leaned against the cold wall of the souvenir shop’s exterior, watching as Junmyeon did the same. “So, why did you ask me out for? I thought Your Majesty would much rather spend your time in a toasty room away from the cold.”   
  
Junmyeon shrugged as he took a sip of his coffee. Americano, probably, because Junmyeon was predictable like that. Kyungsoo made a dark wish for the idiot heir to lose sleep over the coffee. He should’ve known better. “I was bored, I guess. No one but my butler and the maids are around.” He said, and there was a sort of wistfulness coating his words, making Kyungsoo’s heart soften further. He forgot that Junmyeon wasn’t as blessed as he was with a close-knit family. One of the more expensive prices to pay in return for the riches his family name possessed.   
  
Another particularly strong gust of wind blew past, and Kyungsoo subconsciously shifted closer to Junmyeon, so that their shoulders were touching. The heat transferring between them was very much welcomed. “Why didn’t you ring up the other guys, then? Pretty sure they’re more interesting to hang out with.”   
  
“You were the first person who came to mind, actually,” Junmyeon admitted out of the blue, and Kyungsoo was suddenly glad that he wasn’t sipping on his drink. He probably would have burnt his tongue from the shock if he were.   
  
That didn’t stop Kyungsoo from narrowing his eyes in question at Junmyeon, though. “That’s fresh, coming from you.”   
  
When Junmyeon turned to regard Kyungsoo, his expressions mirrored Kyungsoo’s. “Why is it so difficult for you to believe in my words?” Kyungsoo tried hard not to dwell on the frustration which he could pick up from one simple sentence. It didn’t make sense to him, why Junmyeon would be frustrated instead of amused at Kyungsoo’s obvious distrust.   
  
“Because–” Kyungsoo stressed, trying not to raise his voice. He wasn’t being fair to Junmyeon, he knew, but he couldn’t help himself. “–you don’t usually do things if you don’t gain something from the end of it.”   
  
Kyungsoo jumped when Junmyeon dropped his cup of coffee and cornered him against the wall, effectively trapping Kyungsoo between his arms. The distance between them was so minuscule that Kyungsoo could feel Junmyeon’s coffee-tainted breaths fanning across his face, could smell Junmyeon’s usual cologne invading his senses, and his heart thundered against his chest.   
  
“I have  _never_  been this sincere with anyone else before, Do Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon seethed, and Kyungsoo was actually surprised to note actual rage in his voice. “I don’t even get why I’m feeling this way, but I want to stop pretending to order you around, just so I can have you close, okay? I just– I don’t know, okay?!”   
  
Kyungsoo was again shocked into silence by the way Junmyeon poured out his feelings to him. It was an unprecedented event. Junmyeon had always alternated between hot and cold towards Kyungsoo, and he was honestly confused. He didn’t know what Junmyeon could possibly want from him, and judging by Junmyeon’s outburst, neither did he.   
  
Before Kyungsoo could even respond, though, Junmyeon was already reeling away from Kyungsoo, hiding his face from view. “You know what? Forget it. If you don’t want me close, I’ll go. I’ll go and not bother you anymore, if that’s what you want.”   
  
Even though the ambient temperature at Namsan Tower dropped further after Junmyeon had walked away, Kyungsoo could still feel the slow burn in his cheeks and the way his heart was pounding rapidly in his chest. While his conscious mind told him he had no reason to feel guilty about how the late-night meeting with Junmyeon had turned out, his heart said otherwise.   
  
Somehow, Kyungsoo couldn’t forget the glimpse of sadness and anguish he’d caught in Junmyeon’s eyes, or the way Junmyeon’s usually confident and firm voice had trembled when he leaned in close to Kyungsoo, as though he was struggling internally to hold back some _thing_  else.  
  
Frankly, Kyungsoo wasn’t sure he was ready enough to find out what it meant.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
It wasn't at all difficult for Kyungsoo to fall back into his routine with Jongin, spending most of the afternoons together in the Arts building in either one of their practicing rooms, even if Kyungsoo would actively remind himself that he should build a bridge and get over Jongin. It worked well for the most part, as long as Jongin didn't get too close to him, and Kyungsoo was satisfied with keeping their friendship that way.  
  
It didn't mean his complicated web of relationships with other people in his school was all calm, though. There was another person who was determined at not bumping into Kyungsoo, even going through great lengths at not acknowledging him whenever they crossed paths in school. Honestly? It didn't sit well with Kyungsoo  _at all_. It wasn't helping him ease the guilt which had been in a steady climb ever since that night at Namsan Tower, and Kyungsoo was miserable because of that.   
  
He knew it had become a major problem when even  _Jongin_  asked him about it, with Zitao sending dark glances at Kyungsoo's direction every now and then while they were in the same room. Jongdae otherwise looked simply amused by everything, as he always was. That kittenish smile was much too disconcerting.   
  
"What have you done to our princess this time? I thought you kissed and made up the other time." Jongdae purred all of a sudden; he was probably fed up with the silence and the staring games happening in the meeting room. For all that he looked like a cool playboy, he was actually pretty noisy.   
  
Kyungsoo felt the inappropriate urge to laugh at Jongdae's nickname for Junmyeon, though he chewed on his inner cheek just in time to stop himself. The other two in the room seemed more than ready to engage in a serious discussion. It was at these times that Kyungsoo could see how important their friendship with Junmyeon was to them – Kyungsoo definitely didn't think it was only for show, unlike what the gossipmongers were spreading. Perhaps he was the only person privileged enough to see this side of them, as Junmyeon's friends as opposed to being his sidekicks like what the rest of the school believed them to be.   
  
It wasn't until Jongin prodded him absently in the side that Kyungsoo snapped out of his thoughts and focused on the discussion at hand. “You guys were pretty close after the summer cruise.” Jongin pointed out. The boy could be very observant if he wanted to. Kyungsoo didn’t know if he should be glad Jongin chose to focus his attention on Kyungsoo’s and Junmyeon’s relationship instead of something else. “Why the sudden cold war?”  
  
Kyungsoo groaned and sank deeper into the seat. “Can we not talk about this?”   
  
The way the other three stared back at him told Kyungsoo he wasn’t going to escape this room without having given a proper explanation – or, at least, something that would satisfy their curiosity. After all the time Kyungsoo had spent with them, he knew that their curiosity was like a bottomless pit, and probably couldn’t be quenched with a simple sentence or two. Just his luck to be acquainted with them.   
  
“You guys know how he has a motive behind his every action, right?” Kyungsoo started in the end, heaving a sigh to stress his point. “I sort of– well, I sort of called him out on it the other day, and he got pissed at me.”   
  
There was a collective groan from the trio, instantly making Kyungsoo feel a hundred times worse than before. They were the ones who had fed him with the idea from the very beginning, but for them to react in such a manner to his words meant that Kyungsoo was  _definitely_  in the wrong this time. Kyungsoo didn’t understand  _why_ , though.   
  
“For a scholarship student, you sure are one of the densest people I know out there.” Zitao commented – which was a surprise in itself – and rolled his eyes in disbelief. Kyungsoo didn’t know why, but he took extreme offense in that.  
  
“It’s not my fault that the idiot heir gives off such confusing signals. I don’t even know what the hell he wants with me!” Kyungsoo threw his hands in the air in frustration. This was so unfair.  
  
That was when Jongin caught Kyungsoo by the shoulders, and held his gaze down. Kyungsoo gulped, never having seen the boy being this serious before outside the dance studio. “Trust me when I say Junmyeon has never tried so hard to be in another person’s good books,” he said, sinking Kyungsoo’s heart at the same time.  
  
“He doesn’t have a need to, does he?” Kyungsoo stammered, not used to Jongin’s stern expressions. “People would do anything to worship the land he walks upon.”  
  
When Jongin narrowed his eyes further at Kyungsoo, he realised that he’d just answered his own question.  
  
Jongdae further drove the point home with two simple words. “ _Exactly_ , genius.”   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo didn't know why he had agreed to this, but he was beginning to think that it was a bad idea as he stood before the massive gates of Junmyeon's palatial mansion, with Zitao's 5-Series behind him. He'd like to think he wasn't a person who could be so easily threatened into doing something he didn't want to, but perhaps this time, his guilt had won over his pride and led him into making this decision.  
  
Anything to make Junmyeon talk to him again, really. He liked it better when the idiot heir was all sincere smiles, because it made Junmyeon look a hundred times more attractive than when he had a scowl permanently tattooed on his face. That, and he preferred it when Junmyeon was more approachable instead of being cold to him all the time. Kyungsoo could remember the times when Junmyeon had looked at him with chilling indifference, and an involuntary shudder ran down his spine at the memory. It didn't feel right to him, especially after all the times they had spent together – even if they were probably mundane to Junmyeon.   
  
Kyungsoo turned around and frowned at the car which had just dropped him off when he could feel a disapproving gaze attempting to burn holes into the back of his head, only to find Zitao mirroring his features. Even if he couldn't hear Zitao speak, Kyungsoo could clearly make out what he was saying from the way his lips moved in a deliberately slow manner so that Kyungsoo could read them.  
  
 _Go_ , he said,  _or I'll give Junmyeon a call right now and let him know you're here_.  
  
Kyungsoo didn't really think he'd be using his scowl of death on anyone else apart from Jongin.   
  
When Kyungsoo turned back towards the gates, though, he could feel his courage slipping away from him. He was nothing but a simple commoner; it was much too presumptuous of him to assume that Junmyeon would want to see him at his doorstep without an invitation, or that Junmyeon would even want to speak to him at all. Junmyeon had made his point clear from the moment he began to ignore Kyungsoo’s existence altogether.   
  
Still, Kyungsoo valued friendship more than anything else – if his relationship with Junmyeon could even be called that – and he wanted to fix things with his own hands. As much as he hated to admit it, he was at fault this time, and it was only natural for him to make the first move.   
  
Heaving a small sigh, Kyungsoo lifted his finger and hit the intercom button. He wasn’t made to wait for long though, when the speaker crackled to life several moments later. “Welcome to the Kim residence. May I be of help to you, sir?” A polite, formal voice spoke up, and Kyungsoo fidgeted in his position. He wasn’t used to being spoken to with honorifics, but he caught himself soon enough, acutely aware that there was a security camera trained on him.  
  
“I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced, but I’m here to see your young master,” Kyungsoo tried for a smile, hoping fervently that it didn’t look frozen around its edges.  
  
“Ah, Master Kyungsoo!” The man behind the intercom exclaimed, and Kyungsoo felt flustered at being recognised. “It is an honour to see you again. Would you like me to inform Master Junmyeon of your presence?”   
  
“No, it’s fine!” Panicking, Kyungsoo’s voice rose several pitches higher than usual, and he hoped there wasn’t anyone else listening in on their conversation at the moment. He was already mortified as hell as it stands. Clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment, though, Kyungsoo tried again with a calmer voice. “I’ll just surprise him or something. Could you kindly let me in, please?”   
  
“As you wish, Master Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon’s butler said again, and the gates swung open. Kyungsoo hesitated for a moment longer, before taking his first steps into the mansion. Having been knocked out cold the previous time he’d been here, Kyungsoo took the opportunity to take in the sights of the front lawn this time, marvelling at the landscaping around him with his eyes wide open. There were significantly more house-helpers scurrying about, all of them nodding at Kyungsoo politely as they went, probably unaware that his social status was only as high as theirs went. Kyungsoo allowed himself to bask in the attention for a while, before returning to reality. He wasn’t born to live in luxury; there was no reason for him to get accustomed to this.   
  
Junmyeon’s butler helpfully showed him around the moment Kyungsoo arrived at the main house, and upon informing him of the directions to Junmyeon’s room, Kyungsoo once again found himself wandering about alone. It wasn’t difficult to find his way to his ultimate destination, and since Kyungsoo was told that a study preceded the entrance to Junmyeon’s bedroom, he quietly pushed past the first set of doors, so that he wouldn’t alert Junmyeon just yet.   
  
The moment he stepped into the study, however, Kyungsoo was left stunned by the sight of Junmyeon pinning a girl down on the sofa situated in the middle of the room. For some odd reason, the playful grin on Junmyeon’s face made Kyungsoo’s stomach twist in the most unpleasant way, and when Junmyeon leaned in to kiss the girl, Kyungsoo took a step backwards in an attempt to flee, only to knock into the side table and alert the two.   
  
Whatever expression of enjoyment on Junmyeon’s face was wiped out the instant he looked up and noticed Kyungsoo standing red-faced at the entrance of his study, and he actually appeared - _horrified_. The girl, on the other hand, gasped audibly at the intrusion, and quickly covered herself with her arms even though she was still practically still fully-clothed.   
  
When Junmyeon immediately made to climb off the sofa, though, Kyungsoo raised a hand to stop him. There was a conflicting mixture of relief and disappointment when Junmyeon actually paused mid-action, and Kyungsoo was officially confused with himself. Still, he swallowed hard and forced the words out of his throat.   
  
“I actually came here to apologise for being such a dick the other day–” he started, and had to swallow again to make sure he wouldn’t throw up his lunch. The nausea was overwhelming. “–but it seems like you’re doing fine without me bothering you. Don’t let me spoil your fun now. I’ll take my leave.”   
  
Junmyeon seemed to want to say something about the incident, but Kyungsoo didn’t want to hear it. He had no business butting into Junmyeon’s private life, that much he knew, though it didn’t stop him from feeling upset. It was ridiculous. _He_  was ridiculous, he thought, and those feelings drove him to walk out of Junmyeon’s mansion as fast as he could.  
  
The only thing he heard before Junmyeon’s house-helps closed the main doors behind Kyungsoo was Junmyeon calling after him.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Sleep didn’t come easy to Kyungsoo that night, even though he felt both physically and mentally exhausted after cramming for his studies. For some reason, the images of Junmyeon leaning in to kiss that girl in his study kept coming back to Kyungsoo’s mind, and Kyungsoo felt frustrated with himself. Junmyeon was a grown man. He had every right to hook up with anyone he wanted to, and Kyungsoo had no jurisdiction over that  
  
Above all, though, Kyungsoo couldn’t fathom why he was feeling a lot more bothered by what he’d seen today, than the time when he had walked in on Jongin kissing Luhan. He was sure he felt more strongly for Jongin than he ever would for Junmyeon.   
  
Kyungsoo finally came to a conclusion after spending almost an hour rolling around in bed: he was incredibly messed up deep within. He dragged his pillow from beneath his head and smothered his face, muffling his frustrated screaming with it.   
  
That was when Kyungsoo’s phone buzzed next to him on the bed, interrupting Kyungsoo’s moment of self-loathing. The frown quickly found its way back to Kyungsoo’s face when he saw the name blazoned across the screen, though. Why should the idiot heir be texting him at this time of the night?  
  
Despite his better judgement, though, Kyungsoo dumped his pillow aside and picked up his phone to read the message.   
  
 _Can’t sleep. Meet me at the park near your house in ten._  
  
Though short, the text message effectively evoked Kyungsoo’s famous scowl. He was in the midst of typing out his reply when his phone vibrated in his hands again. Another text message.   
  
 _If you don’t show up, I’m going to head to your house. I wonder what your mother might say about our late-night rendezvous._  
  
Kyungsoo groaned aloud as he threw the covers off himself, too. He wasn’t too keen on walking out into the cold autumn night when he was already so comfortable in his warm bed, but it didn’t seem like he had a choice. Fuck Kim Junmyeon and his stupid fucking threats.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
If there was one thing Kyungsoo admired about Junmyeon, it was his impeccable sense of punctuality. Junmyeon was already seated on the swings when Kyungsoo arrived at the park, which uplifted his mood a little. At least he didn't have to get his ass frozen off while waiting for Junmyeon.   
  
What was different that night, though, was the wan smile Junmyeon flashed when Kyungsoo approached him. It was nothing like the grin he wore when he was having fun with the girl in his study earlier that afternoon, and for some reason, this expression of Junmyeon's tugged at Kyungsoo's heartstrings more strongly than Kyungsoo would ever dare to admit. Somehow, this looked more genuinely  _Junmyeon_ , his sadness and regrets laid bare for only Kyungsoo to see.   
  
But Kyungsoo put a stop to those thoughts. He was getting too far ahead of himself.   
  
"Hey," Junmyeon greeted quietly, again showing none of the usual arrogance he had. Kyungsoo was confused. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."   
  
Kyungsoo frowned at him as he took a seat on the swing next to Junmyeon's. "You kind of threatened me to come out," he reminded Junmyeon bitterly. "Besides, I'm your slave for the rest of the academic year. Wouldn't want  _Your Majesty_  to go around bothering my family members if I ignored your orders."   
  
Even when Kyungsoo knew he shouldn't act in such a hostile manner towards Junmyeon, he couldn't help himself. It was probably projection speaking, and with every passing second, Kyungsoo grew more frustrated with himself.   
  
Thankfully, Junmyeon wasn't in the mood to fight back, or their meeting might end up ugly like the other time. "You're still bothered by that, huh." He asked, and there was a hint of sadness in his voice which threw Kyungsoo off. He really wasn't used to seeing this side of Junmyeon, so open and raw and vulnerable. "I'm sorry. Calling you my slave was the only way I knew how to keep you around."  
  
This time, Kyungsoo blinked at Junmyeon, unable to properly process what he'd just heard. "Why would you want  _me_  to be around? I'd downgrade your social status if I were to be seen with you."  
  
"I'm sure Jongin and the rest have talked to you about this before." Junmyeon let out a small laugh. Kyungsoo watched as the other boy swung himself back and forth on the swing as he contemplated over his words. "You're the only person around who doesn't think of us as  _gods_ , you see. You don't put us on a pedestal like the rest of the school, and everything you do comes from your heart. We couldn't make any friends outside our circle which had been established so many years ago, simply because we couldn't trust anyone else to not have ulterior motives when they approach us – until  _you_  came along."  
  
Kyungsoo kept frowning. "If you wanted to be friends, you could've just  _asked_. You know. Like normal humans do?"  
  
Junmyeon chuckled a little, then hung his head. "It's not like you haven't seen how our part of society works, Soo. People can grow into very good actors; myself included.”  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"This morning. What you've seen. They're all me trying to hide myself from the world." Junmyeon said, though it did nothing to alleviate Kyungsoo's confusion. Sensing that, though, Junmyeon merely smiled wryly and continued explaining himself. "As horrible as it might sound, it was only an experiment on my part. I wanted to see for myself if I liked girls."   
  
"I don't get it," Kyungsoo pointed out truthfully. "I thought you've always dated girls. Isn't that why you made me cross-dress to accompany you to the ball?"   
  
Junmyeon averted his gaze from his shoes and looked up at Kyungsoo. His eyes were mirthful, his smile not so. "Have you ever seen me actually hang around one? Or hearing the other guys talk about it?" Kyungsoo shook his head no. Indeed, Junmyeon was almost always seen alone, if he wasn't with the rest of EXO, and the other boys never teased him about his latest flings either.   
  
Satisfied with Kyungsoo's answer, Junmyeon took it upon himself to continue. "Homophobia is rampant in the rich men's society, you see. Men are always expected to marry a woman, in order to procreate and give birth to the next heir of the family name." He said it in such a manner which made him sound like he was reciting something out of a handbook which could only be found in the richest of households in Korea. "And when you deviate from that, you are bound to be ridiculed all your life. Your family will shun you, your acquaintances will call you disgusting names. It was why I challenged myself, to see if I would want to kiss a girl as much as I wanted someone of the same gender. I didn't."  
  
Somehow, Junmyeon's words struck a chord with Kyungsoo's heart. He could empathise with Junmyeon, considering the fact that he had been keeping his homosexuality a secret for the most part of his life, only allowing Baekhyun and Junmyeon know about it. So far, they have been accommodating and quiet about it, but Baekhyun was his best friend. It was only natural for him to keep Kyungsoo's secret. Nevertheless, it was only now that Kyungsoo realised why Junmyeon did the same. They were stuck in the same universe, after all.   
  
And somehow, Junmyeon's confession lifted the weight from Kyungsoo's heart.   
  
"The girl was upset, wasn't she? That you didn't kiss her in the end?" It was a shitty attempt at lifting the mood, but Kyungsoo was still successful at making Junmyeon laugh. It was a start.   
  
"I didn't tell her anything I've just told you. She lost her mood the moment you walked out." Junmyeon said, and this time, his smile was a lot more sincere, a lot less burdened.   
  
"Why, though?" Kyungsoo asked again, then, realising he wasn't being specific enough, amended his words. "Why are you telling me this? It's not like my opinion matters."  
  
Junmyeon was off the swing in an instant, pulling Kyungsoo to stand, too. The way Junmyeon stared into Kyungsoo's eyes, so intense and serious, sent tingles down Kyungsoo's spine. "It does. I wanted you to be the first one to know, because I have feelings for  _you_ , Do Kyungsoo. Don't you see it?"  
  
And suddenly Kyungsoo found himself completely speechless, because he definitely wasn't expecting a confession when Junmyeon had asked to meet at the park. Above all, he couldn't understand why he was actually  _delighted_  about it. It simply didn't make sense. Junmyeon wasn’t Jongin, and up till a moment ago, Kyungsoo was sure he still hadn’t gotten over Jongin.   
  
"Why  _me_?" Kyungsoo exclaimed incredulously when he managed to find his voice, though he sounded a lot like he was croaking.   
  
"Because it's you." Junmyeon told him, and albeit brief, it was the cheesiest thing Kyungsoo had ever heard in his life. "You don't judge. You don't treat me any differently, despite knowing that I'm the heir of the biggest company in South Korea. You're not afraid of speaking your mind. I just– I like you, okay, and I don't think I can stop myself even if I wanted to."   
  
Kyungsoo still found himself frozen in his spot, not knowing what to do with  _himself_  because this was all too confusing for his poor, tired brain to take in, but the warmth seeping through the layers of his jacket from Junmyeon's hand was more comforting than anything else in the world. All those things which didn’t make sense in the past – the way Junmyeon would look at him when they were alone, the way Junmyeon seemed to always strip off his mask before Kyungsoo and be the most genuine Junmyeon anyone has probably ever seen – they did now.   
  
"Then don't stop, if that's what you want." Kyungsoo said quietly moments later, when he was finally able to process his thoughts and realise that maybe, just  _maybe_  Junmyeon had started creeping into his heart ever since it was broken on the day Kyungsoo saw Jongin's and Luhan's lips touching. That was why he felt so incredibly bothered when Junmyeon wouldn't talk to him, so terribly sick to the stomach when he saw Junmyeon with the girl.   
  
It was Junmyeon's turn to be confused by the sudden change in events, though the blankness was quickly replaced by a relieved smile. It was the brightest Kyungsoo had ever seen on Junmyeon's face, before he was gathered into Junmyeon's arms.  
  
Once upon a time, Kyungsoo would probably have loathed any form of bodily contact between him and Junmyeon, but now, he didn't think he'd want to trade it for anything else in the world.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
"Ew," Jongdae made a face of disgust as he walked past Junmyeon and Kyungsoo. "You guys need to get a room, pronto. Stop spreading your sickening love rays all around."  
  
Kyungsoo and Junmyeon stared at each other for a moment, before Kyungsoo turned back to Jongdae with a saccharine sweet smile on his face. "We haven't been doing anything above sitting next to each other, Jongdae. Are you just bitter because Liyin noona is ignoring you?"   
  
Somehow, the darkening of Jongdae's expressions made Kyungsoo feel remarkably accomplished. "I liked you better when you were still actively antagonising Junmyeon," Jongdae grumped, just as Junmyeon burst into laughter.   
  
Jongin, who's been curled up in the armchair across the room – texting with Luhan again, no doubt – finally looked up from his phone with an equally wide grin. "I beg to differ," he said. "I like seeing them happy. At least Junmyeon hyung isn't all doom and gloom now.  _That_  was unbearable."   
  
This time, it was Junmyeon's turn to be affronted while Jongdae cackled away. Kyungsoo, meanwhile, sat there with a wide grin, neither siding with Junmyeon nor the rest of his friends. It was fun, watching them bicker like a bunch of kids. It wasn't very often that they would be gathered together like this – with Kyungsoo in the equation – but Kyungsoo thought he should start getting used to it. Junmyeon had, after all, broken the news of them being an official item to the other three despite Kyungsoo's multiple protests to keep it a secret for a while. Exasperated as Kyungsoo might've been, there wasn't anything else he could do. Nothing could stop Junmyeon when he had his mind set on doing something.  
  
Kyungsoo was baffled by their lack of reaction to the news, though judging by the way they've been pushing for Kyungsoo to talk to Junmyeon again, they probably saw this coming all along. He wouldn't be surprised if they actually placed bets on  _when_  Kyungsoo would actually agree to dating Junmyeon – but he sure as hell will kill them for doing that.  
  
"What's the occasion, though?" Zitao queried, busy jamming at the buttons of his PSP with his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth. "It's not like you to call us out when we have classes going on."  
  
"Oh hush," Junmyeon snapped playfully at Zitao. It was great to see him in such an upbeat mood, especially after all the sulking he had done a couple of weeks ago. "You're on personal tutoring. It's not like it matters if your classes are rescheduled."  
  
Zitao narrowed his eyes in disdain at Junmyeon, while Jongdae decided to hop onto the sofa next to the boy. "Zitao has a point.  _You_  definitely won't cut classes and hang out here if there's nothing important."   
  
At that, Junmyeon shrugged nonchalantly. "Just wanted to let you guys know that there's another charity ball this weekend, and you're all invited to attend."   
  
Kyungsoo, who was lost in his own world humming to songs in his mind, snapped back to reality when four expectant gazes fell on him. He choked on air when he realised what those gazes meant. "Am I supposed to go? I can't possibly attend–"  
  
" _Yes_ , you can." They all chorused together, making Kyungsoo flinch a little at the emphasis. He definitely wasn't ready to throw himself into such a luxurious way of living, and he certainly didn't own anything expensive enough to even step into the place where the ball would be held.   
  
Desperate to get out of this, Kyungsoo pleaded with them. "No, I can't! I'm not suited for such occasions! What am I even going to wear?"  
  
Their only response were scheming grins, ones which made Kyungsoo wish he hadn't said a thing.  
  
"You know–" Jongdae was the first to speak up, ignoring the glare Kyungsoo sent at him. "–this is one of the things you're gonna have to get used to, now that you're dating Junmyeon and all."  
  
Beside him, Junmyeon nodded firmly, seemingly pleased with himself. Kyungsoo slowly reached down and pinched him in the side, just so Junmyeon knew that he wasn't the boss of Kyungsoo, as much as Kyungsoo liked him. He knew Junmyeon was trying to keep his yell in, but the grimace on his face wasn’t going to fool Kyungsoo.   
  
"Oh come on, Soo. It’s going to be fun. We’ve never been to an event together." Jongin coaxed with a pout, and Kyungsoo really wanted to groan aloud. Jongin  _knew_  Kyungsoo was weak against that, and here he was, deliberately using that same technique on Kyungsoo. He really ought to stop falling for it, but today was another battle lost.   
  
They whooped happily when Kyungsoo slumped into his seat with groan and said, “ _Fine_.”   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Junmyeon seemed a lot more like his personal stylist instead of his boyfriend, when Kyungsoo again found himself sitting on the chair of the guest room, facing the mirror while several girls fussed over him. As much as he liked Junmyeon, there was no way Kyungsoo could stop the scowl from finding a place on his expressions when one of said girls started spreading concealer over his pores and blemishes.   
  
When Kyungsoo had agreed to go to the charity ball with Junmyeon, he was fully expecting to attend it as a  _guy_  this time, and not as Junmyeon’s lady date. But Junmyeon had insisted on Kyungsoo to cross-dress again, citing that he really wanted to dance with Kyungsoo, and having him seen in public dancing with another man wasn’t going to bode well with his image. Junmyeon swore time and again that he wasn’t deliberately trying to hide his sexual preference, but it was still much too early for him to come out of the closet.  
  
Kyungsoo had sighed and agreed (albeit very reluctantly) to his terms, simply because he knew how difficult it is. He was stuck in the same situation, after all, and he thought both his parents might suffer from a massive heart attack if they found out about his homosexuality through the papers, no matter how much his mother might like Junmyeon.   
  
“That’s fine, she can put on her dress by herself. You may excuse yourselves now.” Junmyeon suddenly said, pulling Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. It was only then that Kyungsoo realised his hair and makeup were done, and they were about to strip Kyungsoo bare and stick him in the dress – this time a simple black laced number – Junmyeon had bought for him. He flushed pink, nodding meekly in thanks to the stylists before they left him alone with Junmyeon.   
  
To avoid blowing their cover, Kyungsoo quickly picked the dress up and went behind the screen to change, before the stylists decided to return to do some last minute touch-ups for Kyungsoo's makeup. The lack of fabric on the dress made Kyungsoo's eyes pop the moment he put it on, though, and he scrambled to cover himself up as he walked out from the screen with an angry frown on his face.   
  
"Kim Junmyeon!" He hissed. "I know I agreed to go to that stupid ball as your date, but did you have to give me something so revealing?!"   
  
Junmyeon was unrepentant, circling Kyungsoo deliberately and taking in the sight of him in a dress again. There was a satisfied smile when he was done, evidently admiring the way Kyungsoo's back was bared for all to see. The cut extended _very_  low down, resting right above his sacrum. "I think you look good, though. That full body scrub has done wonders."  
  
Kyungsoo turned scarlet again; he was extremely aware how smooth his skin appeared right now, having marvelled at it after the spa Junmyeon had pampered him with just yesterday. Still, it didn't justify Junmyeon's choice of clothes.   
  
"Do you secretly have a kink of seeing me in a dress?" Kyungsoo growled, resting his hands upon his hips. He could feel the scratchy material brushing against his knuckles, and he blushed a little again, feeling extremely self-conscious. Never in his life had he dressed like this – not that he had a need to – but he had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last.   
  
When Kyungsoo least expected it, Junmyeon pushed him onto the nearest sofa and climbed on him, straddling his legs so that Kyungsoo couldn't move or do anything remotely dangerous to his family jewels. Kyungsoo could feel the blood rush down south, when Junmyeon started to stroke his bare thighs slowly. "Maybe," Junmyeon said, eyes dark and voice hoarse from lust. Kyungsoo sucked in a deep breath when Junmyeon leaned in impossibly closer, and tried hard not to buckle up against Junmyeon. Junmyeon's mint-laced breath was intoxicating. "I may not be interested in girls, but seeing you in a dress is an entirely different story altogether."   
  
"Why?" Kyungsoo dared himself to ask, even when his eyes were locked on to every movement of Junmyeon's lips.   
  
"Because it's you," Junmyeon said again, and the warmth reached even the most obscure corner of Kyungsoo's heart when their lips finally touched. Contrasting greatly from his extremely provocative actions, the press of Junmyeon's lips against his was surprisingly gentle and slow; tentative, even, as though he was anticipating for Kyungsoo to push him away.   
  
But Kyungsoo realised he wanted this as much as Junmyeon, so he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Junmyeon's neck, pulling the other boy closer so that he could show him that it was alright to kiss Kyungsoo. The way Junmyeon smiled and sighed against Kyungsoo's lips made him melt entirely.   
  
The moment didn't last for long, though, when they were interrupted by a string of obnoxious knocking against the door, followed by Jongdae's loud voice calling out for them. Contrary to expectations, though, Junmyeon didn't immediately straighten himself out of surprise. Instead, he pulled away slowly and sneaked another quick peck from Kyungsoo, before pulling Kyungsoo up from the sofa with him.   
  
"It's unfortunate that we have an event to attend–" Junmyeon told him with a secretive smile, "–because I would very much like to keep kissing you."   
  
Kyungsoo again didn't know what to do with himself when Junmyeon wiped at the corner of his mouth with a thumb, only standing there stiffly while Junmyeon did it. He was still so new to this dating thing, and he wondered if Junmyeon had any prior experiences with girls. He seemed a lot like the type who could sweep anyone off their feet without putting in much of an effort.   
  
"Come on," Junmyeon nudged him gently before taking Kyungsoo's hand in his. The warmth was very much welcomed. "We should have the makeup noonas fix your lipstick."   
  
Kyungsoo didn't trust himself enough to speak, so he merely nodded meekly and trailed after Junmyeon, his eyes focused on the way his fingers were entangled with Junmyeon's. The kiss didn't really leave him entirely breathless, but it  _did_ make him crave for more.   
  
And Kyungsoo was going to hold Junmyeon to the silent promise he saw in Junmyeon's eyes, telling him that this wasn't going to be the last.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Having had a prior experience walking around in a dress and three-inched heels, Kyungsoo was far more at ease this time, knowing exactly how to play his part as the mysterious young girl from a secretly wealthy family. He was the talk of the night, the envy of the floor with the way he walked right next to Junmyeon, their arms linked together in an intimate manner. As much as he didn't like the attention, this was far more bearable than the other time he had awkwardly found himself too dressed down during the opening ceremony of Jongdae's art exhibition.   
  
He was certain that Junmyeon's reassuring hand on his had some form of magic to it, too.   
  
Beside them, Jongdae was happily chatting with Liyin, while Jongin and Zitao lingered close to Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. Kyungsoo felt somewhat bad for Jongin; he could see the wistful way with which the younger boy surveyed the crowd, his eyes occasionally watching Kyungsoo and Junmyeon with envy. Without a doubt, he was yearning for Luhan to be there with him, but Kyungsoo knew for a fact that it was a wish that could not be fulfilled. Last he heard, Luhan was currently attending a fashion week in Paris.  
  
It was only with much effort did Kyungsoo manage to tear his concerned gaze away from Jongin, when Junmyeon leaned in to whisper in his ear. Junmyeon's warm breath tickled the sensitive skin of his neck, and Kyungsoo fought hard to suppress the blush from showing – he was still very much aware of the way their bodies had been pressed close barely hours ago.   
  
"Don't be too worried about Jongin," Junmyeon told him, and it was then that Kyungsoo realised he had been staring much too blatantly. "He doesn't like it when people notice."  
  
Kyungsoo could only smile thinly at Junmyeon. "I can't help it. He looks so lonely."  
  
"Even if he doesn't admit to it, Jongin's quite fond of the way people label him as the lonely prince." Junmyeon said, and Kyungsoo laughed despite himself. "More importantly, you should enjoy yourself a little more. It's not always that you get to attend events like these, am I right?"  
  
"I think–" Kyungsoo started with a knowing look. "–that I'm probably going to get sick of attending them while I'm with you. You don't seem the type to let me bail out of things."  
  
Junmyeon grinned at him as he pulled Kyungsoo along to the main dance floor, hearing the music start. "You're right, I'm not. I'm going to cherish every moment I get to be with you."   
  
Kyungsoo shook his head in amusement as he followed after Junmyeon, being careful not to trip on his own feet. Junmyeon's reassuring arm was back around Kyungsoo's waist in an instant, as though silently telling him that he'll be there to catch Kyungsoo if he falls, that he won't ever let Kyungsoo go. Somehow, Kyungsoo found himself believing greatly in these small actions. Junmyeon was not a person who would go against his words.   
  
The look of mild surprise on Junmyeon's face when Kyungsoo glided easily to his guidance pleased him, though. When Kyungsoo realised that he wasn't going to be able to run from all these formal events without ending up in a dress, he'd gotten some lessons in ballroom dancing from Jongin, who was only all too eager to coach him. He wasn't perfect, but Kyungsoo had learned enough to keep up with a graceful appearance.   
  
"You've been taking lessons," Junmyeon leaned in to comment, and Kyungsoo could hear the smile in his voice. "Jongin?"  
  
"I hope you're not upset." Kyungsoo knew despite the fact that Jongin was one of Junmyeon's closest friends, Junmyeon didn't really like seeing Kyungsoo hanging out with Jongin too often. It was jealousy speaking, definitely, but at least Junmyeon had learned well to keep that side under good control. For that, Kyungsoo was glad. He didn’t much like being the catalyst to the close-bonded group’s internal conflicts.   
  
"Why should I?" Junmyeon pulled away just enough to grin at Kyungsoo. "You're putting in so much effort for me, even though I wouldn't even mind if you couldn't dance well."  
  
Kyungsoo blushed despite himself and mumbled. "I figured that it wouldn't seem convincing if a young lady from a wealthy family couldn't do ballroom dancing. I had to play the part."  
  
"And I appreciate it." The grin Junmyeon was wearing turned into a warm smile, sincere and unguarded, just the way Kyungsoo liked it on Junmyeon. "I'd kiss you right now if we weren't in public, but I can't risk putting you in danger."  
  
Immersed in their dancing like this, Kyungsoo had very nearly forgotten that they essentially had dozens of camera lenses trained upon them, and they couldn't really do anything above dancing in a platonic manner, like they were nothing but mere acquaintances. Junmyeon's position was much too valuable to risk it, Kyungsoo knew, but there was nothing he could do to stop himself from feeling slightly disappointed.   
  
"Who is this young lady, may I ask?" A polite female voice suddenly spoke up next to them, causing them both to tense. They hadn't realised that another couple had decided to dance close to them, but Junmyeon's stiffness was much too noticeable for it to pass off as mere surprise.  
  
True to Kyungsoo's observation, Junmyeon's hands were immediately taken off him, and Kyungsoo found himself being shielded from the couple by Junmyeon. In the midst of his confusion, though, Jongdae, Jongin, and Zitao immediately came to their side, further hiding Kyungsoo from view. Even so, Kyungsoo could feel a pair of hawk-like eyes watching him keenly. He quickly lowered his head, hiding his face from view. Something wasn't quite right here.   
  
"Good evening, ma'am. It's been a long while." The trio chorused, making Kyungsoo wonder just who it was that warranted such a formal greeting.   
  
The words which left Junmyeon's lips moments later, though, answered Kyungsoo's unspoken question.   
  
"Mother, Father." Junmyeon said, his voice cautious and guarded. "I thought you were not going to attend this evening's event. What brings you here?" Kyungsoo rightly tensed at that, too, because any one girl hanging around Junmyeon in two different formal events was not supposed to happen. In the upper caste of society, it usually meant that they were seeing each other exclusively. Shit.   
  
"I was told by your father's secretary that you were seen with the same young lady you danced with the other time. As your mother, naturally I should be here to meet her, seeing as you refuse to introduce your other friends to me." Junmyeon's mother said, and Kyungsoo could hear the distrusting edge in her voice. She must see him as another gold-digger, which Kyungsoo was obviously not.   
  
"Pardon me for my insolence, ma'am, but she is one of my acquaintances." Jongin quickly jumped into the conversation, and Kyungsoo snuck in a grateful squeeze of his hand while he had the chance. "She greatly admires Junmyeon, and asked of me to introduce her to Junmyeon."  
  
"Do girls not do that all the time? I am well aware of my own son's popularity." Her tone was downright condescending, and the way she narrowed her eyes further at the slightest glimpse of Kyungsoo grated on his nerves. Kyungsoo decided that he didn’t like her much.   
  
"She isn't from around here, Mother. I do believe I should have the courtesy to at least show her around." Junmyeon replied. The curtness in his voice surprised Kyungsoo. He wasn't expecting Junmyeon to stand up against his own mother for his sake.   
  
"Then pray tell, my dear son–" his mother started again. "–what might her name be?"   
  
It was then that Jongin suddenly grabbed hold of Kyungsoo's hand, his expressions serious as he bowed at Junmyeon's mother. "I apologise, Mrs Kim, but I seemed to have forgotten that she needs to be home soon. I have made a promise to her parents. Please excuse us."   
  
Before Junmyeon's mother could even respond, Jongin was already walking away from the ballroom with Kyungsoo in tow. Kyungsoo braved himself and threw a glance over his shoulder, only to find Junmyeon's jaw tightly clenched, evidently unhappy with how the evening had turned out. No one was expecting for Junmyeon's parents to suddenly show up; it was the only reason why they had encouraged Kyungsoo to go as Junmyeon's female date.   
  
It was also brave of Jongin to do what he had done, to go against Junmyeon's mother whom everyone was evidently afraid of crossing, but it didn't take much for Kyungsoo to guess why. She had nothing to threaten Jongin with, unlike Jongdae and Zitao, whose families probably have ties with Junmyeon's. Even if they  _did_  grow up together, Kyungsoo suspected that they only met because their families wanted them to.   
  
Kyungsoo couldn’t stop himself from being disappointed that Junmyeon didn’t follow after them, even though he knew that he was being ridiculous. It was obvious Junmyeon wanted very badly to walk away from his parents, but Kyungsoo was supposed to be  _only_  an acquaintance to Junmyeon. It would seem weird if Junmyeon followed suit and left the ballroom with Jongin and Kyungsoo.  
  
Kyungsoo swallowed hard, and turned back to focus on the path before him. He wasn’t going to be upset. He wasn’t.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
He couldn’t even begin counting the amount of times he’s lost sleep because of Junmyeon. It was peculiar, how the idiot heir managed to sneak into his life in the most obscure of ways, turning even the most intense sense of hatred into yearning and worry.   
  
Although Kyungsoo had intended to turn in early for the night after stripping himself of his other identity as Junmyeon’s female date, there was no way he could rest well. His mind was completely invaded by Junmyeon, mostly worrying thoughts about Junmyeon getting lectured or interrogated by his mother and not being able to say anything in return. As much as Junmyeon disliked being controlled in such a manner (he’d mentioned to Kyungsoo on more occasions than one, and Kyungsoo ached at the thought of Junmyeon living a suffocated life), Kyungsoo also knew that Junmyeon respected his mother too much to fight back.   
  
Such was the life of someone born into a family of wealth and power.   
  
Kyungsoo jumped when the doorbell suddenly rang, casting his eyes which read two in the morning, and he immediately ran to answer the door, wondering just who on earth was insane enough to pay a home visit at such an ungodly hour of the day. He couldn’t even catch a sight of his visitor, instead feeling a strong pair of arms wrap around his body the moment he opened the door. Kyungsoo was about to panic when he recognised the warmth radiating from the other body pressed against him, and he relaxed in the person’s hold.   
  
He closed his eyes and allowed the other person rest his chin on his shoulder. “What are you doing here this late at night, Junmyeon? You should be sleeping.” Kyungsoo asked quietly, counting each inhale and exhale of Junmyeon’s in his mind. Somehow, the gestured seemed so sorrowful, and his heart clenched as he thought about the pain Junmyeon was going through.   
  
“I’m sorry,” Junmyeon whispered back, as though unable to trust himself not to break if he spoke any louder. “I should have protected you, but I didn’t. I’m sorry.”   
  
“Hey, I’m fine.” Kyungsoo swallowed and smiled even though Junmyeon couldn’t see him. He could feel the way his lips trembled as he forced the smile to remain there, and he pressed his lips into a thin line. He wanted to be strong for the both of them when Junmyeon couldn’t, but he was failing miserably in that department.   
  
Junmyeon shook his head, his hair brushing against the bare skin of Kyungsoo’s neck. Kyungsoo fought back a shiver. “No, I should have walked out with you, but I didn’t. I was a coward.”   
  
His words brought a wry smile to Kyungsoo’s face. “No, you’re not. You have a duty to your family. I understand that completely.”   
  
There was a sad chuckle that sounded almost like despair. “Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe we shouldn’t even have gotten ourselves involved in this.”   
  
Kyungsoo jerked into attention, alarmed by what Junmyeon had said, and he forced himself away from Junmyeon, holding the other boy’s eyes with a ferocious gaze. “Don’t you  _dare_  say that, Kim Junmyeon,” he hissed as loudly as he could without waking up the rest of his family. It would be another massive mess to resolve if they did, and his mother probably wouldn’t stop hounding him for days regarding Junmyeon’s late-night visit. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure he was prepared to face that just yet. “Do you think I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I agreed to date you? So don’t you dare say that.”   
  
Junmyeon appeared broken when he looked up at Kyungsoo. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You don’t know what my mother is capable of doing.”   
  
“I won’t.” Kyungsoo promised, moving forward to hold Junmyeon’s hand in his. “Have you forgotten how feisty I am? I’m sure I’ll survive this.” He felt marginally more relieved when Junmyeon cracked into a small smile. It was a start.   
  
“I’ll protect you from her, no matter what it takes.” Junmyeon said again, gripping Kyungsoo’s fingers a little more tightly this time. It was a show of his determination, and Kyungsoo could feel his heart swell from joy.   
  
“I’m sure you will,” Kyungsoo replied softly, and for the first time, it was him who initiated the kiss. Junmyeon’s reciprocal smile against his lips made Kyungsoo think that this was all worth it.   
  
 _Junmyeon_  was worth it.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
The moment he was approached by a man in a neatly-pressed suit after school one day, Kyungsoo already knew what was coming. His set his jaw in a determined manner as he followed the man who told him  _the madam is waiting for you_  to an expensive limousine parked away from the school gates, mentally preparing himself to face his fate.   
  
He had been found out, no doubt, and the woman was going to talk him out of this. It was expected; Kyungsoo just didn’t anticipate it to happen so soon.   
  
Seeing her up close as he slid into the car, Kyungsoo thought that this woman was elegant, though the years of worrying and running a grand business empire alongside her husband made her look years older than her age. Even the way she carried herself was prideful. Kyungsoo decided that he should be more wary; she seemed like a ruthless person behind the polite smile.   
  
“Good afternoon, ma’am. May I know why you needed to see me?” Kyungsoo initiated the conversation, hoping that the sooner they launched themselves into the subject, the faster he’ll get to leave. The limousine was a space much too confined for serious discussions like these, and Kyungsoo felt mildly claustrophobic by the thought.  
  
Her polite smile did not fall, though Kyungsoo could see the way she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at his question. “You are a smart child. I’m sure you know perfectly well what I intend to say to you.”  
  
Feeling brave, Kyungsoo smiled back. “My gravest apologies, but I am not a mind reader, ma’am. I’m afraid I am unable to guess.”   
  
This time, Kyungsoo could feel the spark of annoyance coming from Junmyeon’s mother, even as she struggled to keep herself together. “Did you really think you could fool me by dressing up as a lady? It wasn’t difficult to find out about your identity, Do Kyungsoo.”   
  
As expected. Kyungsoo dipped his head in acquiescence. “I have never thought about wanting to fool anyone, ma’am. I’m merely playing by Junmyeon’s amusement.”   
  
“Do not speak of his name so casually with that peasant mouth of yours.” She finally snapped, though instead of feeling threatened, her words annoyed him more. He was human, just like her. It didn’t give her the justification to condescend him just because she was of a higher social status.   
  
“We are friends, ma’am. I do not see the reason why I must address him formally.” Kyungsoo said, keeping his voice as level as he could. He was trying to stay unaffected, but judging by the way she was patronising him every chance she had, it was getting more difficult by the minute.   
  
"Learn your place!" She raised her voice at him, obviously having lost all patience with Kyungsoo. "I thought I was doing some form of charity work when I agreed to set up a scholarship for the school, but it seems that I have made a grave mistake. A commoner will never be qualified enough to be a friend of someone like my Junmyeon. If I were you, I’d be smart enough to step away."  
  
She wasn't the only one whose patience had run thin within the short span of ten minutes, but Kyungsoo reminded himself not to stoop to her level. He may be the poorer one between them both, but he still had his manners to fall back on. "I am unsure if you have anyone you could call your friend, or if you regard the rest of the world with the same magnitude of distrust, but when you're friends with someone, social status and wealth don't even matter anymore. Please excuse me."  
  
Kyungsoo grabbed hold of his backpack and hopped right out of the car, startling her driver who stood guard outside the vehicle, feeling that every passing moment he spent in her presence was slowly suffocating him. He didn't expect her to understand him, or even listen to him, for she has been too wrapped up in the upper caste of society for far too long to even see anything beyond that.   
  
But by walking out on her in such a manner, Kyungsoo hoped that he could get the message across, that commoners weren't as weak-willed as she thought they were. On the contrary, having toiled for the most part of their lives, common folk were probably much more resilient than those who bathed themselves in their wealth.   
  
Little did Kyungsoo know, though, that the meeting wasn't a mere verbal warning, but an ultimatum on her part that he should break all ties with Junmyeon  _or else_.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Kyungsoo frequently came across this in books he’s read and movies he’s watched, about a kind of fear so chilling that it spreads down your fingertips and the very end of your toes, and strikes you right into the bone, a kind of fear so horrid that it would render you paralysed in your spot, unable to move a single inch or even blink. He'd always face some difficulties in imagining the sensation, having experienced nothing so frightful that it would make him freeze.   
  
Three days after his meeting with Junmyeon's mother in her limousine, though, Kyungsoo found himself completely numbed and chilled the moment he arrived at home and found his parents kneeling before their launderette. He was about to ask why they were doing that, before his eyes landed upon the interior of the shop, which had been completely thrashed by unknown assailants. Everything was strewn all across the place, as though a storm had torn through it.  
  
His father, who had always been the strongest person Kyungsoo has ever known, was shedding tears at the sight. Kyungsoo's insides twisted unpleasantly at the thought that he might have had a hand in this, albeit indirectly, though he forced his legs to move, knowing that he should take charge of the situation when neither of his parents were of a stable enough mind to gather themselves. He was only thankful that whoever did this didn't harm his parents physically, because he was sure the business had been running when the thugs came to thrash it.   
  
"Who would do this to us? We didn't even cross anyone in the past few years, or borrow any money from the loan sharks. Why would they destroy our business?" His mother cried hysterically once they were inside the house, which was mercifully spared from whatever chaos that had hit their launderette.   
  
Kyungsoo again felt the chill and froze in the middle of handing her a warm cup of tea. He had a good idea who had done this, and he knew he was the horrible son who had allowed this to happen to his parents. Still, Kyungsoo braved a smile. "We'll find them, mom. But for now, please, rest. I will go make a police report on your behalf."  
  
"I hope they'll find the culprit." His father said, and though his voice was firm, Kyungsoo could still see the tears of frustration in his eyes. Years of hard work, gone within the blink of an eye. Kyungsoo's heart wrenched again at the sight.   
  
Kyungsoo was out of the house the moment he made sure his parents were stable enough for him to leave them alone, and he dropped the blinds over the launderette, shielding the interior from prying, curious eyes. He didn't head for the police station, instead calling for a taxi and making his way to the palatial mansion which had already become all too familiar to him by now. The butler, having seen Kyungsoo hang around Junmyeon so very frequently these days, had no qualms about letting Kyungsoo in the moment he heard Kyungsoo's voice over the intercom.   
  
Thankfully, Kyungsoo was already used to the layout of the mansion, considering the fact that Junmyeon had shown him around once. He immediately made for the main study in the east wing of the house, where he hoped Junmyeon's mother would be around.   
  
It was a good call, for when he pushed past the heavy set of mahogany doors, she had just finished answering a call on her phone. He relished the shock on her face, but the anger was back in an instant. "Why did you have to disturb my parents' launderette? If you're not happy with me, then deal with  _me_! My parents have done nothing to deserve this!"  
  
For a moment, Kyungsoo wondered if she was going to deny everything. She didn't have a direct participation in this, that much he was sure, and she could probably sue him for issuing such a defamatory remark, but she merely smiled at him. "Have you ever heard of the phrase that parents would bear all the sins of their children?" She asked, and again, Kyungsoo felt his stomach churn. There was nothing he could say in response to that.   
  
Satisfied with his silence, Junmyeon's mother leaned forward and rested her chin on her crossed fingers. "Do you think I'd let you corrupt him into a life of homosexuality, when it could possible ruin everything we’ve been preparing for him all these years? I have given you a chance to walk away from Junmyeon the other day, but you refused to take it. You forced my hand, Do Kyungsoo, and you only have yourself to blame."  
  
When Kyungsoo had first met Junmyeon's mother at the charity ball two weeks ago, he didn’t get why the rest of EXO was so afraid of her. He now knew, though, and it was probably much too late for him to discover the vile, vengeful side of her. He couldn't understand what had made her this way, but when he took a figurative step back and looked at the business empire she had helped build, the realisation dawned upon him. At the end of the day, the distrust fell upon their immense wealth, and the fear that anyone who got close to them was after it.   
  
Kyungsoo clenched his fists by his side. "What do you want me to do, so that you'll leave my family alone?"  
  
The smirk on her face was sickening. "You are a smart boy, Kyungsoo. You know there’s only one thing I want, and if you know what’s best for Junmyeon, you’ll make that decision." She said, though Kyungsoo was too embroiled in his internal conflict to see her eyes flitting towards the gap in the door, or the way her attention was captured by Junmyeon listening in on them.   
  
Kyungsoo closed his eyes. This was it. "Fine, I will leave Junmyeon, and cut off all ties with him. I'll pretend that I've never known him at all."  
  
He jumped when Junmyeon burst in through the doors in panic, yelling at both Kyungsoo and his mother about Kyungsoo's words. Feeling as though he was going to throw up at any given moment, Kyungsoo quickly made to leave, though he should've increased the distance between him and Junmyeon when they crossed paths.   
  
Junmyeon's grip on his bicep was almost painful when he pulled Kyungsoo back. "Soo, what is the meaning of this? What do you mean you'll cut off all ties with me?" His words were so distraught, so broken that Kyungsoo wanted to embrace him and tell him that it was all lies, but he couldn't. Not with Junmyeon's mother watching them keenly, not with his parents' safety lying in his hands.   
  
No matter how sorely tempted Kyungsoo was to have Junmyeon's warmth so close to him, he forcefully pulled his arm back. "It's exactly what you've heard. We're done. Don't talk to me ever again."  
  
And Kyungsoo dashed out of the mansion while Junmyeon reeled from the impact of his hurtful words, knowing that not only one, but two hearts were broken at the same time. His family meant too much to Kyungsoo, and he loathed to see them hurt. This was the only way he knew how to protect them, even at the cost of his own happiness.   
  
Even at the cost of Junmyeon's happiness.  
  
No amount of apologies would ever suffice in making Junmyeon's heart whole again, Kyungsoo knew, so he didn't bother with them, only watching as the unanswered calls and text messages pile up on his notification screen that evening.   
  
It was the first time in a long while that Kyungsoo went to sleep with a tear-stricken face, and even then, the dampness seemed to linger at the corner of his eyes.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Ignoring someone was a thousand, a million times harder when you had feelings for them. Kyungsoo was harshly taught about that fact when he found himself thinking about Junmyeon more than ever – how Junmyeon was spending his days, how he was coping without Kyungsoo by his side, how angry and confused he must have been, seeing Kyungsoo promise Junmyeon's mother that he'll stay away from Junmyeon for good.   
  
The last thing he would want Junmyeon to think was that Kyungsoo had received a lump sum of money from his mother to do so, but if it could keep Junmyeon away from Kyungsoo, he wouldn't want to correct that misunderstanding.   
  
Kyungsoo didn't think he could stay away from Junmyeon for long, even if he wanted to. He was bound to cave to Junmyeon's pleading, and he really didn't need to be tested in such a manner. Kyungsoo was torn up inside as it was, worrying about his parents' safety more than anything else.   
  
True to her words, Junmyeon’s mother did not harass his family any further after Kyungsoo had stopped seeing Junmyeon. That was probably her only redeeming point, even though Kyungsoo had lost all forms of respect for the woman. Only the shrewd and the less courageous would resort to threatening to get their way, and as much as Kyungsoo hated to admit, it always worked.   
  
It was yet another night where Kyungsoo found it difficult for him to fall asleep, his face illuminated by the bluish glow of his phone in the dark. His finger hovered over the ‘call’ button next to Junmyeon’s name, muscles suspended in a limbo as he contemplated about hitting it. He’d been going on for so long without hearing Junmyeon’s voice, and there was a sort of hollowness in his chest at the thought. It actually  _hurt_.   
  
Kyungsoo swallowed hard as he switched his phone off and stashed it away for the night, thereby successfully preventing himself from putting his family in danger again. The pads of his fingers traced his lips as he sang a lullaby to himself, feeling the ghost of Junmyeon’s lips pressed against his, and it was in such a way that Kyungsoo found himself drifting off into a fitful sleep, just like all the other nights preceding this.  
  
As much as he wanted to be with Junmyeon, he knew that it was an impossible life to live. He had always known. The short amount of time spent with Junmyeon was akin to a beautiful dream in his otherwise nightmarish life, and Kyungsoo clung onto the fragments of his memories to keep himself afloat.  
  
It was better this way.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
After Kyungsoo had gotten close to the rest of the EXO members, and both Junmyeon and Jongin made an announcement that anyone who inflicted any form of harm on Kyungsoo would be chased out of the school. Kyungsoo had been living a relatively comfortable and worry-free life in SM High since then, which was a great contrast from the times when he still had to worry if the other students would try to make him run off the ledge of the roof. That had been almost a year ago, and looking back on those times, Kyungsoo felt as though he was watching those incidents unfold through a surreal veil.   
  
The moment Kyungsoo declared that he was cutting all ties with Junmyeon, though, he really should've known better than to let his guard down. He knew how vengeful Junmyeon could get when he was crossed, so what was to say that history wouldn't repeat itself this time?  
  
Kyungsoo wasn't all that surprised when he was dragged away roughly by the arm the moment he walked out of his classroom one afternoon, but the suddenness of the event did plant a seed of fear within him. If the bullying had been terrible in the past, Kyungsoo dreaded to think what would happen to him for scorning Junmyeon. But Kyungsoo didn't put up any form of resistance; he deserved this, for taking the cowardly way out of things and settling for breaking Junmyeon's heart in order to protect his family. Perhaps if he were gone, then his parents would be safe.   
  
What Kyungsoo didn't expect, though, was for him to be shoved against the wall the moment they arrived at a secluded hallway, only to find Zitao's incredibly pissed off face staring back at him. Behind Zitao, Jongin and Jongdae both walked out of their hiding places, arms crossed in front of their chests and jaws set in displeasure. Of course they would speak up for Junmyeon. They have been friends with Junmyeon for more than a decade of their lives. There was no way they would sit out of this and watch Junmyeon being hurt, no matter how much they'd tease Junmyeon after the incident. It was only natural that they'd take matters into their own hands, and made sure they gave Kyungsoo hell for betraying not only Junmyeon, but them as well.   
  
Kyungsoo reminded himself that he was the one who singlehandedly ruined everything, and he put on a brave smile as he prepared himself to face his fate.   
  
"Hi," he said a little shakily. "It's been a while."  
  
Zitao slammed him against the wall again, and Kyungsoo winced when he could feel the pain searing in his back. "Why did you resort to this?" He hissed, and the anger was clearly palpable in the air. "Junmyeon  _trusted_  you to be there until the end.  _We_  trusted in you."  
  
Kyungsoo found himself at a loss, unsure what he should tell them. Though Jongin remained silent from a distance away, his poorly concealed frustrations made Kyungsoo want to speak of the truth, but Kyungsoo thought it would be selfish of him to make them despise Junmyeon's mother even more. They already dislike her enough.   
  
So instead, Kyungsoo rearranged his facial features into a smirk, putting his long-forgotten acting skills into good use. "Do you know what's the ultimate satisfaction one could get out of life? It's to see someone who's tortured you for so long receive retribution for it." He said, even as every word struck his heart repeatedly like a knife. "He brought this upon himself. Bet he didn't see this coming."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jongdae asked, and Kyungsoo's stomach twisted in the most unpleasant of ways at the betrayal in Jongdae's voice. He had always liked Jongdae, for it was oddly comfortable to be around Jongdae, despite his playboy ways. "Have you any idea how much Junmyeon is suffering because of you? He's a prisoner in his own home right now, yet all he thinks about is how he could get out so that he could see you!"   
  
Again, Kyungsoo felt an invisible punch aimed at his gut. Was that why Junmyeon hasn't been spotted in school for a week?   
  
Then again, Kyungsoo couldn't let his act fall apart. He  _needed_  to protect his family, who was on a slow but sure way to recovery from being badly shaken the other day. He had to think about the people who raised him all these years, even at the risk of sacrificing his own wants and happiness.   
  
He made sure the smirk was plastered firmly on his face when he spoke next. "Do I look like I care?"   
  
Zitao's fist was raised out of rage in an instant, and Kyungsoo prepared himself for the punch, because he thought he truly deserved it for everything he has put the boys of EXO through. But Jongin was fast enough on his feet to stop Zitao in time, which surprised both Zitao and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo really didn't think that Jongin would step in to help him. Kyungsoo didn't deserve it at all.   
  
"Jongin, what the fuck are you doing?" Jongdae growled, his words still simmering with rage. "Let Tao punch his face in! Are you forgetting where our loyalties lie?"  
  
"What's the point of hitting him, killing him even, when Junmyeon hyung has already gone through all of the torture? It won't change a thing, and hyung won't be happy with us if we took matters into our own hands." Jongin was eerily calm as he replied Jongdae, his words almost  _cold_. It sent an unpleasant chill down Kyungsoo's spine, because he knew Jongin was livid with him.   
  
"But–" Zitao started again, his grip on Kyungsoo's shirt tightening and crumpling the material. Kyungsoo could feel the way Zitao's hand shook from anger.   
  
Jongin seemed the oldest of the lot for once, when he wouldn't take any of this shit from his friends and interrupted whatever Zitao was about to say. "Would you be happy when Junmyeon hyung decides to cut off all ties with us, too? If you think you would, then go ahead. Smash Kyungsoo's face in until he's unrecognisable."   
  
One long, tense moment passed them by, as Zitao and Jongdae both considered Jongin's words. But in the end, Zitao's grip on the front of Kyungsoo's shirt loosened, and Kyungsoo found himself losing his balance for a bit, being unprepared to stand on his feet again after being pinned against the wall for so long.   
  
"If he shows up in front of me again, I won't hesitate to beat the shit out of his ass." Zitao warned, before he stormed off with Jongdae hot on his heels.   
  
Jongin, however, stayed behind with Kyungsoo, only turning around to look at him once Jongdae and Zitao were out of earshot. There was disappointment in his eyes, so overwhelming to the point of suffocation, and Kyungsoo fisted the material of the back of his shirt to channel some of the tension.   
  
"I'm sure his mother must have threatened you somewhat, no matter how much you're trying to conceal it from our knowledge." Jongin said quietly, and not for the first time, Kyungsoo wondered how the hell this boy could be so damned perceptive. "I know you're hurting deep inside, too, but I wished you trusted us – trusted  _me_  – more."  
  
It was hilarious, how Kyungsoo could show his true self before Jongin, when he couldn't even be honest with the person he supposedly loved. He looked away guiltily. "I didn't want to put you guys in a tight spot. You've all been friends with Junmyeon much longer than you have been with me. I would be a terrible person, if I destroyed that too."  
  
"And you're not terrible for causing so much anguish to Junmyeon hyung?" Jongin asked, though he had no intentions in guilt-tripping Kyungsoo, not reprimand him for his actions. Kyungsoo was pretty sure Jongin knew what Junmyeon's mother had done to his family.   
  
"I'm sorry." Kyungsoo apologised sincerely, feeling the pain wash over him all over again. But he would not cry – not when he was away from the comfort of his own room, not when Junmyeon was probably suffering a lot more than him for being kept in the dark about Kyungsoo's intentions. "There's no other way I could've done this."  
  
"It's your decision." Jongin told him silently. "Junmyeon's mother is sending him to London to complete the rest of his studies, by the way. He's far too adamant at wanting to see you, and his mother is having none of that."  
  
Kyungsoo felt like throwing up at the news. He thought he'd be fine, if he could watch over Junmyeon from afar. But by doing this, Junmyeon's mother was essentially cutting off all hopes of them ever being together again. Perhaps it was for the better. Their family needed an heir for the continuation of their legacy, and having Junmyeon dating Kyungsoo was going to destroy it. Kyungsoo couldn't be selfish.   
  
"I don't know why you're telling me this."  
  
"Because–" Jongin said as he turned to leave. "I know you still care a great deal. If you want to see him one last time, come to the airport this Sunday afternoon. His flight is at three."  
  
Kyungsoo clenched his fist. It was much too soon to say goodbye.   
  
  
\--  
  
  
Even if Kyungsoo didn't give his word that he'll be at the airport that Sunday, he still found himself receiving updates from Jongin for the rest of the week leading up to the day, things like  _Junmyeon's already given up trying to convince his mother to let him stay_ , and  _we're leaving for Incheon now, will be there by 1:30_.  
  
And, despite convincing himself otherwise, Kyungsoo still walked through the main entrance of the airport on Sunday, with the recurrent thoughts of  _this is a bad idea_  running around in his mind. He'd spent a fortune getting here though, so Kyungsoo wasn't about to leave so soon, either.  
  
Then again, he didn't have much of a courage to face Junmyeon after walking away without a proper explanation. Instead, Kyungsoo searched for the possible gate Junmyeon might leave through, and positioned himself at a strategic enough location to possibly catch a glimpse of Junmyeon without putting them both at risk of meeting face to face.   
  
He held his breath when Junmyeon finally showed up with the rest of EXO with him. Junmyeon's leaning seemed like a hushed affair, seeing as the rest of the school wasn't around to send their king off, nor were there reporters hounding him. Kyungsoo didn't know what was sadder, though, when he couldn't even spot Junmyeon's parents there with him. It seemed as though they've had enough of Junmyeon's nonsense, and was sending him off to a faraway place to teach him a severe lesson.   
  
Junmyeon, though significantly more exhausted than the last time Kyungsoo had seen him, appeared to be holding himself together just fine. Kyungsoo had always known that Junmyeon was a strong person, which was why Kyungsoo had the courage to walk away without giving him prior knowledge about it. It was unfair of Kyungsoo to do that, he knew, but there was no other way. He still felt a lot like a coward for hiding himself from view, even when Junmyeon seemed as though he was looking for someone who wasn't even supposed to be there.   
  
Junmyeon talked to his friends for a long while after checking in, until the last call announcement for his flight rang through the speakers. Still, Kyungsoo could see how heavy Junmyeon's heart was at the thought of leaving, that he dragged his feet along as he walked towards the departure gates after bidding his friends goodbye.   
  
As though he could feel a pair of keen eyes watching him, though, Junmyeon suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around. Kyungsoo sucked in a deep breath, finding himself frozen in his spot when their eyes met. He hated that he could see the surprise and longing in Junmyeon's gaze even from a distance away, but Kyungsoo shook his head firmly when Junmyeon began to take his first steps in Kyungsoo's direction, pointing instead to his phone.   
  
Junmyeon seemed confused for a moment, his eyes flickering to his phone when it vibrated in his hands. Kyungsoo waited with bated breath as Junmyeon read the last message Kyungsoo sent to him – the only one he was allowing himself to selfishly send, in hopes that it would bring a proper closure to their short relationship – but he knew he could rest easy when Junmyeon flashed him a ghost of a smile when he was done and nodded ever so slightly in acknowledgement.   
  
Kyungsoo was out of the airport before Junmyeon's flight took off from the tarmac, feeling lighter than he had been in weeks, even as he allowed the one happiness he'd been able to find with his own hands slip away so easily. He knew he probably should have put up more of a fight, but this was for the best.   
  
They both had to walk their own separate ways, as destiny would have it, and if they were truly fated to be together, there'll come a day when they would meet again. He was confident of that.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
  


  
_**...epilogue** _

In the past, when Kyungsoo would talk about his farfetched dreams of becoming a singer, to touch hearts with his voice and music, his parents would've beaten him up and threatened to wash his brain out with bleach for harbouring such pointless aspirations. But Kyungsoo, being Kyungsoo, still persevered and did everything behind their backs. He may respect them and love them for raising him up, but he didn't think he couldn't let go of his dreams – not when he had already lost one of the major sources of his happiness the moment he stepped out of SM High. 

Tending to businesses was never his interest, especially not after learning how dark of a world it was. He couldn't say that the entertainment world was any much cleaner, but at least it was easier for him to stay away from the corruption, as long as he placed his focus on his music and ignored everything else.

The day when he received a call from a prominent recording company, offering him a long-term contract upon listening to the demo tape he'd sent to them without his parents' knowledge, his fate was sealed. Kyungsoo signed the contract before he broke the news to his parents, and though livid with him, they eventually came to accept that this was the path Kyungsoo chose to live for the rest of his life. There was no way they could force him to break the contract, seeing that the price they had to reimburse was much too high, and they couldn't possibly ever live to pay it off. 

Kyungsoo was reckless, he knew, but he's given up way too much to let this opportunity slip again. 

Seeing his parents' proud faces looking up at him as he received his first major award as a soloist, though, Kyungsoo thought that maybe sometimes, being reckless wasn't such a bad thing after all. He had never been happier in his life, even if he still did feel a little hollow deep within. That hollowness was probably a feeling that he'll never get over with. 

He bowed to all the staffs as he made his way backstage, thanking all of them for their goodwill and patience with him since the day he'd made his debut, and getting greeted with a profuse stream of congratulations as he went. The smile immediately froze on his face when he pushed past the doors to his dressing room, though, when he found someone waiting in the room for him. He was sure it wasn't his manager, considering that he'd given his manager hyung the day off so that Kyungsoo could celebrate his victory with his parents after the ceremony was over.

All forms of coherent thoughts were thrown out of the window when the person turned around and beamed at him. 

It was surreal, how they were standing at so close a distance after spending the past few years being apart. Kyungsoo had only ever seen him in the business section of the newspapers, all singing praises for the genius young entrepreneur who'd successfully widened his family's business empire to encompass more fields. Kyungsoo didn't want to delude himself, however, vehemently convincing himself that there was no way Junmyeon would possibly be interested enough to follow Kyungsoo's achievements in the papers, but here he was, standing in Kyungsoo's dressing room at an award ceremony where Kyungsoo was touted strongly to emerge as a big winner for the year. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Junmyeon teased, with that god-awful smirk of his. Kyungsoo was torn between wanting to punch him and calling the security to throw him out, simply because it was so infuriating. 

Kyungsoo shut the door behind him to ensure their privacy was kept. Gossips would follow if anyone ever found out that the new CEO of SM Holdings paid a personal visit to a popular new artist's dressing room, and Kyungsoo wasn't sure whose career would suffer more from it. "What are you doing here? I thought this was a private area."

Junmyeon shrugged and leaned against the dressing table. "Nothing some money can't do to shut the security up."

"You bribed the security?" Kyungsoo remarked incredulously, though it sounded a lot like something Junmyeon would do. He had always remembered the idiot heir to insist that he got his way. Some things never change, apparently. 

“How else could I have gotten in?" Junmyeon smiled. "Also, answering your other question – I still remember the text message you sent me on the day I left Korea."

Kyungsoo's heart thumped against his chest at the reminder. He hadn't been expecting that to happen, but now that he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. Junmyeon evidently cared enough to keep it on his mind, and perhaps Kyungsoo wasn't the only one who'd been following after Junmyeon through the news. 

_We'll both work towards our futures while we're apart_ , Kyungsoo had written,  _and if we were truly fated to meet again, we'll do it with smiles on our faces._

Junmyeon must've known somehow, that Kyungsoo wouldn't give up on his dreams to become a singer, even if Kyungsoo had only ever mentioned it in passing to him. Jongin had been the only one, apart from Baekhyun, who knew of that desire. 

"I'm impressed," Kyungsoo jested, even as his heart thumped in anticipation, wondering if Junmyeon remembered the second part of his message. "Didn't peg such a busy person to remember minor details like that."

As though offended, Junmyeon's expressions turned horribly serious as he started walking towards Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo held his breath when Junmyeon got close enough to trap him between Junmyeon's body and the door, leaving him absolutely no room for escape. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating, and Kyungsoo’s mind idly noted how he has never changed his preference in his cologne, even after all these years. 

“You know how important you are to me. You were then, and you still are now.” Junmyeon said in a voice so quiet, Kyungsoo had to strain his ears to hear. Even so, it made Kyungsoo’s pulse race in a way it has never done in a very long while, and Kyungsoo found the courage to look up at Junmyeon, the hope slowly rising in him, 

“I don’t get what you’re trying to say,” he tried. “You have to be more specific, instead of beating around the bush, Kim Junmyeon.” 

Junmyeon snorted at his words, but the smile was back on his face in an instant. It was the smile Kyungsoo loved to see on Junmyeon, one that was reserved especially for Kyungsoo. 

“I’ll show you,” is all that Junmyeon said, before he bent forward and pressed his lips against Kyungsoo’s, making Kyungsoo melt in his arms all over again. 

Even after spending all these years apart, Kyungsoo was glad that some things never change, and above all, he was glad that Junmyeon still cared for him as much as Kyungsoo did for Junmyeon.

_And if you still love me then as much as you do now, don’t ever stop yourself from kissing me_  were words so insignificant if one decided to ignore them, yet Kyungsoo couldn’t be happier that Junmyeon still felt the same way. 

This time, he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in their way to the happiness they’ve once had to give up. 


End file.
